A campaign to reduce the use of tobacco among Metro students appears to be paying off, according to campus surveys.

As part of the Colorado Collegiate Tobacco Prevention Initiative, a survey conducted in August 2002 found that 32 percent of students smoke. When asked the same question last spring, following a poster campaign and a highly publicized Great American Smokeout event, the percentage of student smokers dropped to 25 percent. Nationally, 22.6 percent of the general adult population are smokers, according to a 2001 survey conducted by the American Lung Association.

"The results so far have been positive," said Doug Smith, a psychologist from the Counseling Center, which is coordinating the initiative on campus. "We've gotten a lot of support on campus and our efforts seem to be making a difference," he said.

Metro State is one of 15 Colorado colleges to participate in the project, which is facilitated by the BACCHUS and GAMMA Peer Education Network, an international association of college and university based peer education programs focusing on alcohol abuse prevention and other student health and safety issues. It is financed by the State Tobacco Education Prevention Partnership and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

A key strategy of the anti-tobacco initiative is to correct student perception of the number of smokers. The initial survey found that students perceived that 54 percent of students smoke, significantly higher than the actual figure of 32 percent.

"If people think everybody is smoking, they're more likely to smoke themselves," Smith said. In response, posters were distributed last spring around campus with the message "Most Metro Students Choose Not To Smoke." Smith said that by raising awareness and diffusing misperceptions of the level of tobacco use, students can feel less pressured to smoke. "The perception is almost always more unhealthy than reality," he said. "It's really important to get the message out, and repetition is important."

If you'd like to display an anti-tobacco initiative poster in your department or classroom, please contact Smith at ext. x66946 or mailto:smithdo@mscd.edu.