News Release For Immediate Release September 27, 2004 Contact: Tobacco-Free Colleges Summit Addresses Tobacco Use Issues on College Campuses CHAPEL HILL -- Coalitions of students, health professionals, and academics will meet to find new ways to approach tobacco use at North Carolina colleges and universities at the Tobacco-Free Colleges Summit on October 1, 2004 at the Center for School Leadership Development in Chapel Hill . Comprehensive tobacco use policies are critical on college campuses, where many young adults become tobacco users. Almost 40% of college students either begin smoking or became regular smokers after starting college. An estimated one of nine current college students will die of a tobacco-related illness. “College students use smoking as a way of dealing with the stress of college life. Colleges need to provide comprehensive prevention and cessation programs and address other issues of tobacco use, including tobacco marketing on campus and providing smoke-free environments,” said Melanie Miller of the UNC-Chapel Hill EnTER Program. “Two-thirds of college students who smoke want to quit. Smoke-free environments make it easier for them to quit and protect the health of students who choose not to smoke. Students who don't smoke are forty percent less likely to start smoking if they live in a smoke-free dorm.” College students who smoke have higher rates of respiratory infections and bacterial meningitis. Non-smokers who live in dorms where smoking is permitted are at risk from the hazardous effects of secondhand smoke, which can also cause more frequent respiratory infections, as well as cardiovascular disease. This conference will provide college teams with skills and resources needed to develop a successful campus tobacco-use policy, including prevention, cessation services, social marketing, and tobacco sales on campus. Topics include how to create a successful coalition, tobacco use and marketing on college campuses, how to do surveys and use the results to develop effective policies, social marketing strategies, and media advocacy. "Our goal is to better understand the incidence of tobacco use and attitudes that college students in North Carolina have when it comes to tobacco,” said Al Richmond, Project Coordinator for the On The Ground Smoking Cessation and Prevention Project with the North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development. “This year's Summit is a big step in that direction. The inclusion of students from the state's historically minority colleges and universities will provide a more full snapshot of tobacco use in North Carolina .” Facilitators with experience in tobacco use issues on college campuses will work with teams from North Carolina colleges and universities to shape an action plan for their campus that will be used to develop effective campus tobacco use policies. The conference is sponsored by the American Lung Association, the American Legacy Foundation, the American Cancer Society, NC SOPHE, and the UNC-Chapel Hill EnTER Program. For more information, contact Melanie Miller at 919-966-5083 or enter@med.unc.edu. |