Students Support Smoke-Free Policies
FRIDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Most middle school and high school students support smoke-free policies across both public and private venues, according to a study published online Jan. 3 in Preventing Chronic Disease.
Kelly L. Kandra, Ph.D., from Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill., and colleagues analyzed data from 3,805 middle school students and 3,301 high school students responding to the 2009 North Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey. Questions focused on opinions about smoke-free policies in indoor and outdoor public places as well as in private places such as vehicles, homes, and work environments.
The researchers found that most middle school and high school students supported smoke-free policies across all venues. Even among high school students who were current smokers and those who wanted to stop smoking, there was support for smoke-free policies for several venues.
"Until smoke-free legislation becomes universal, youth are at risk for exposure in many venues," the authors write.
