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Programs to Help College Students Quit Smoking

Student smoking is unfortunately a ubiquitous presence on many college campuses. All too frequently, young adults who are eager to exert their adulthood and stretch their wings pick up the unhealthy habit of smoking. The Harvard School of Public Health reports that 28 percent of college students smoke regularly. And even more alarming, 48 percent of college students admit to having used tobacco products in the past year. A variety of smoke cessation programs are being implemented at colleges around the country in an attempt to lower these alarming percentages.

  1. The Great American Smokeout

    • The Great American Smokeout, an annual event that takes different forms, encourages college students to kick the smoking habit by offering them enticements such as gift cards and restaurant coupons. The Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, has been a yearly tradition since its inception in 1971. While the goal of this program is to help everyone quit, regardless of age or occupation, an increase in the promotion of the program by many colleges and universities has occurred due to the percentage of college students who smoke.

    Quit Smoking Now

    • The Quit Smoking Now program was initially created at Florida State University and has now branched out to other colleges around the country. This program helps students quit smoking by holding regularly quit smoking classes. These classes empower students to quit smoking by providing them with tips and techniques. Students in the quit-smoking classes can use the information and select a course of action that is appropriate for them. Florida State University reports that the program reduced the number students who smoked dramatically and continues to help struggling students kick the habit.

    Student Advocacy Groups

    • At Washington College in Maryland, the "Kickin' Butts" Student Advocacy group encourages students to kick the smoking habit. This group organizes regular events to encourage students to quit smoking. Washington College, and others that have implemented similar programs, have found success in reducing the number of students who smoke using peer-lead programs. Researchers believe that these programs are successful because they allow students looking to smoke to get advice from their peers and they use the usually negative force of peer pressure in a positive fashion. Student advocacy groups work to convey the idea that smoking is not cool, which leads other students to view the habit in the same light and end their dependence on cigarettes.

    Smoke Free Dorms

    • A study completed by the Harvard School of Public Health touts the effectiveness of smoke-free dorms. The research conducted on this topic seems to indicate that designating dorms as non-smoking and restricting smoking within the proximity can be highly effective in reducing the number of students who smoke. Researchers hypothesize that the absence of cigarettes in and near students' housing helps prevent students from picking up the habit and encourages those who do smoke to stop. The downfall of this method is that die-hard smokers will select a residence without such stringent smoking restrictions. However, this method can be effective in reducing smoking among casual smokers and helping smokers who wish to quit accomplish their goal.

    Smoke Free Colleges

    • Some campuses are taking an even more aggressive approach to stopping smoking by designating the campus as smoke-free. Ohlone College in California reported a decrease in the prevalence of students smoking when they implemented this technique. The idea behind this program is that if smoking is made inconvenient, students will quit. It takes a large commitment to smoking to actually leave campus to have a puff, so many students who attend smoke-free colleges elect to drop the habit. While this program does require extensive monitoring of campus areas to ensure that regulations are followed, it is highly effective and can assist individuals in becoming smoke free before serious, potentially irreparable damage is done.

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