The Eliminate Tobacco Use Initiative’s goal remains constant: to create a tobacco-free culture on college and university campuses. Faculty, staff, students and patients remain our priority populations. To reach these audiences and achieve this goal, there are four core domains – foundational areas supported by evidence-based best practices in tobacco control – that all of our strategic activities are aligned with: policy, prevention, cessation and research.
ETU Domains
Policy
Tobacco-free policies reduce exposure to secondhand smoke and influence behavior change by reducing opportunities for use of tobacco products.
Prevention
Education, outreach and awareness efforts designed to prevent initiation of tobacco product use.
Cessation
Accessible tobacco cessation services for individuals who are ready to quit.
Research
Evaluate ETU components and collaborate with partner institutions to expand the body of literature on young adult tobacco use and tobacco control strategies in college settings.
Evidence-based policies are the driver for all tobacco control activities in the Eliminate Tobacco Use Initiative. Existing measures (such as smoke-free indoor workplace and tobacco-free campus policies) prove that population-based policy interventions can shape behavior to reduce tobacco use, ultimately impacting morbidity and mortality.
Policy Strategies
Tobacco-Free Campus Task Forces: A tobacco-free campus task force is a group of key university stakeholders that work to create a safe, healthy and accessible campus environment by implementing tobacco-free policies, educational activities and assuring the compliance of a tobacco-free campus. A task force may be comprised of a variety of stakeholders including but not limited to students, residential advisors, departments heads, college deans and environmental health and safety officers to assure representation across the entire campus.
Tobacco-Free Campus Toolkit: Having a comprehensive tobacco- and smoke-free policy protects the health and wellness of everyone who visits your campus. Resources and guides are available to assist with the adoption and implementation of a 100% Tobacco-Free Campus Policy
Texas College Tobacco Policy Database: The University of Texas at Austin Tobacco Research and Evaluation Team’s Texas College Tobacco Policy Database is a searchable database that includes a description of the tobacco policies for colleges and universities in the state of Texas and provides a rating for each school’s policy.
Prevention is the cornerstone of public health that operates upstream of the burdens of failing health and increasing health care costs. 99% of adults who smoke cigarettes daily first try smoking by age 26. Preventing people from starting to use tobacco products is the best means for improving health and decreasing health care costs in the long term. Campus-wide engagement in tobacco prevention activities establishes a culture of respect for all, promotes health and will ultimately impact the estimated $8.85 billion annual cost to Texas.
Prevention Strategies
Peers Against Tobacco is a system-level, multi-component, coordinated tobacco prevention program for colleges and universities in the state of Texas. Peers Against Tobacco is funded by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and designed and implemented through The University of Texas at Austin Tobacco Research and Evaluation Team. PAT schools across the state include two- and four-year public and private colleges and universities. The program’s overall goal is to reduce the use of tobacco and other alternative tobacco products (e.g., electronic cigarettes, hookah) among college and university students, and ultimately to change the overall tobacco landscape of Texas colleges and universities. Each participating school must build or expand on a campus peer group, implement outreach campaigns, choose sustainable tobacco prevention goals, and assess the tobacco environment on and around their campus.
Eliminate Tobacco Use Day is intended to amplify the national tobacco-free momentum on or around observance days (i.e. the Great American Smokeout). An event kit is available to participating institutions to create their own ETU Day event or supplement existing outreach and education. Multiple schools have customized the kit contents with support from the ETU team.
Providing vibrant, state-of-the-art, tobacco and vaping cessation services to your campus community offers an opportunity to serve the majority of people who are currently using tobacco products and report they are ready to quit.
Cessation Strategies
MD Anderson is an accredited site by the Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs (CTTTP) to provide a five-day class for individuals interested in seeking Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) training. The program offers the highest quality of tobacco treatment training based on the most up-to-date evidence-based tobacco cessation research and treatment strategies.
In addition to the state quitline, your institution can integrate tobacco cessation treatment and education into your health and wellness programs. This may include providing medical consultation through the institution’s health center, providing individual or group counseling programs and increasing access on campus to nicotine replacement therapy and other pharmacological cessation medications.
If on-campus treatment options are limited or unavailable, institutions can partner with local health centers or agencies to ensure cessation services are available. This may include cessation services covered by the insurance plan for students, faculty and staff to use at a local community clinic. Utilize campus communication platforms to promote awareness of these services as well as the state quitline and other cessation resources.
Research plays a critical role in advancing the understanding of tobacco use among young adults and informing evidence-based interventions. The Eliminate Tobacco Use Initiative supports collaborative research efforts to evaluate the implementation of program strategies and results, explore tobacco product use among young adults, study emerging trends and strengthen the knowledge base on effective tobacco control strategies within higher education settings. By sharing emerging research, ETU fosters data-driven decision-making and enhances the capacity of partner institutions to address tobacco use through innovative, evidence-based approaches.
Research Strategies
Conduct evaluations of ETU dissemination and implementation strategies, including the annual summit, policy adoption and prevention campaigns, to measure impact and identify areas for improvement.
Partner with colleges and universities to study the prevalence and patterns of tobacco and vaping product use among young adults. Research emerging products and behaviors, such as nicotine pouches or disposable e-cigarettes, to stay ahead of industry trends.
Publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals and present at national conferences to share knowledge and best practices. Collaborate with partner institutions to contribute to the broader tobacco control literature, ensuring that findings are accessible to stakeholders in public health and higher education. Use our summit and webinars as an opportunity to share these findings.
Leverage research findings to inform and refine tobacco-free campus policies, prevention programs and cessation services. Translate data into actionable recommendations to guide institutional and system-wide strategies for tobacco control.