MCG Community Survey on the Tobacco Free Campus Initiative

Overview

Nearly 10,000 students, faculty, and classified employees from MCG, PPG, and MCGHI were invited to respond to a 31-item questionnaire.

Respondent Profile

• Approximately 30 percent of the campus population responded, constituting one of the most fervent survey responses ever at MCG.
• More than half (55 percent) of the respondents identify themselves with the campus; 38 percent came from the hospital, and 7 percent from PPG.
• The majority of respondents (88 percent) are permanently employed with one of the three organizations, and 60 percent of those identify themselves as classified employees.
• More than 64 percent of the respondents have never used tobacco, while 23 percent say they are former users.
• Nearly 95 percent of the 13 percent who said they currently use tobacco are smokers. More than 47 percent of the current tobacco users say they use one to two packs or cans per day.

Opinions

• About 55 percent of current tobacco users think it will be difficult for them to stop using tobacco while on MCG properties; 21 percent are not sure of the difficulty.
• Support for the initiative ranges from neutral to strong. Respondents heartily believe that tobacco use has a negative health impact on the MCG community, and they intend to comply with the new policies. However, they also view the policy as an infringement on personal freedoms, and question how they can influence development of these policies.
• More than half of respondents (53 percent) believe MCG is implementing this policy to improve the health and well-being of the MCG community. Only 2 percent believe it is to drive away employees with unhealthy habits.
• Nearly three quarters of respondents (74 percent) plan to support the initiative by offering personal support to those trying to cease tobacco use.
• Tobacco users, former tobacco users and non-tobacco users were also represented in the negative comments, which expressed concern about infringement on personal rights, enforcement and the impact on patients and families at the hospital. Others questioned whether other poor health habits—diet, exercise, alcohol use—would be targeted next.