The pit and the pendulum: the impact on teen smokers of including a designated smoking area in school tobacco control policy

Thirty per cent of school districts in British Columbia do not ban smoking outright on school grounds, and in several instances, smoking is permitted in smoking pits, regardless of school district policy. While there is evidence to suggest that enforcing a tobacco-free environment for students does...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health education research 2008-12, Vol.23 (6), p.1008-1015
Main Authors: Baillie, L. E., Lovato, C.Y., Taylor, E., Rutherford, M. B., Smith, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior - psychology
Adolescents
Board of Education Policy
British Columbia
Canada
Cessation
Discipline Problems
Educational Environment
Foreign Countries
Health Behavior
Health education
Health technology assessment
High Schools
Humans
Intervention
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Policy
Prevention
School Policy
School Safety
Schools - organization & administration
Smoking
Smoking - psychology
Smoking Prevention
Student Attitudes
Tobacco
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Summary:Thirty per cent of school districts in British Columbia do not ban smoking outright on school grounds, and in several instances, smoking is permitted in smoking pits, regardless of school district policy. While there is evidence to suggest that enforcing a tobacco-free environment for students does reduce adolescent smoking rates, the concomitant safety and discipline problems it creates for school staff and administration are demanding and complex, and may override concerns regarding student smoking. This study uses a qualitative approach to explore the meanings that students place on tobacco control policy and the impact that these meanings have on their own smoking behaviours. We found that students were surprised and concerned that smoking was permitted on school property and that it negatively impacted their own tobacco prevention/control/cessation attempts.
ISSN:0268-1153
1465-3648
DOI:10.1093/her/cym003