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. 2024 Aug;25(6):898-909.
doi: 10.1007/s11121-024-01708-4. Epub 2024 Jul 26.

Implementation and Evaluation of a Multi-level, Place-Based Tobacco Prevention and Control Program at a Minority-Serving Institution in Texas

Brad Love  1   2 , Rosemary Coffman  3 , Charulata Ghosh  4 , Jennifer Cofer  5 , Alex N Hurst  5 , Katherine Oestman  6 , Mayra Aquino  6 , Lauren Kriss  2 , Mansi Shah  1 , Gerold Dermid  1 , Margaret Raber  7 , Ernest Hawk  8 , Michael T Walsh Jr  6 , Ruth Rechis  6
Affiliations

Implementation and Evaluation of a Multi-level, Place-Based Tobacco Prevention and Control Program at a Minority-Serving Institution in Texas

Brad Love et al. Prev Sci. 2024 Aug.

Abstract

Multi-level, place-based interventions have proven effective at promoting a range of health behaviors, including tobacco control and discouraging the uptake of tobacco products. This paper describes the implementation and impact of a 3-year, multi-level tobacco prevention and control program at a community-college minority-serving institution (MSI) on the Texas Gulf Coast within the context of a broader multi-sector, cross-functional health coalition. The intervention studied included a tobacco-free policy, a large-scale communication campaign highlighting parts of the intervention and prevention and cessation resources. The intervention was bolstered by the support of a community-led Steering Committee and tobacco control experts. Results from the first 3 years of implementation show that tobacco-free policies were largely supported by community members, awareness of the policy increased over time, and tobacco prevention and cessation resources were successfully embedded into campus norms. This multi-component approach shows how a community college was able to effectively reach students and staff on their campus to increase awareness of both the campus tobacco-free policy and the availability of tobacco prevention and cessation resources. Additionally, it also offers lessons for future tobacco prevention and control work in higher education.

Keywords: Cancer prevention; Community intervention; Health communication; Place-based intervention; Tobacco cessation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Yard sign from the campaign
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Permanent signage from the campaign
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Social media posts from the campaign
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Awareness of tobacco policy by year and campus role
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Awareness of tobacco policy by year and tobacco use
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Word clouds based on the open-ended question’s responses of tobacco nonusers (top) vs. tobacco users (bottom)
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Word cloud based on the open-ended question’s responses of staff (top) vs. student (bottom)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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