The Longitudinal Effect of a City-Wide Smoking Ban On Cigarette Smoking Behaviors Across Emerging Adulthood

Introduction: Almost one-third of college students report recent cigarette use, primarily as “social smoking.” While city-wide bans effectively reduce the number of social opportunities to smoke (e.g., bars and music clubs), little is known about how these bans may impact the smoking behaviors of college students. This study examines the longitudinal effect of a city-wide smoking ban on the frequency and amount of cigarette smoking in a sample of emerging adults.

Methods: Data are from a 6-year study (10 data waves; N=2,247; 60% female; 55% White) that began the summer before enrollment at The University of Texas at Austin. Participants reported on past three month cigarette smoking frequency (0=never to 5=daily; Wave 1 M=.67, SD=1.36) and cigarette amount (number of cigarettes smoked in a typical day; Wave 1 M=.44, SD=2.26). Piecewise growth models were run using MPlus 6.12 before and after the 2005 Austin public spaces smoking ban (between Waves 4 and 5). Smoking was still permitted on campus throughout the study. Demographic covariates included gender, race, fraternity/sorority membership, place of residence, family income, and parent education.

Results: Both cigarette smoking frequency (β=.141, p<.001) and amount (β=.089, p<.05) increased from the summer prior to college enrollment up to the semester before the city-wide smoking ban. After the ban there was a decrease in both smoking frequency (β=-.043, p<.001) and amount (β=-.036, p<.05). Prior to the ban, males had a more rapid increase in smoking frequency (β=.102, p<.05) and amount (β=.162, p<.05) compared with females but gender was not significantly related to the decline in either measure after the ban. While not related to the increase in smoking behavior prior to the ban, participants with higher family income reported a greater decline in smoking frequency (β=-.012, p<.01) and amount (β=-.016, p<.05) after the ban. White participants had a more rapid increase in smoking frequency prior to the ban (β=.246, p<.01), but race was not related to the decline in either measure after the ban.

Conclusions: This study supports past research that both cigarette smoking frequency and amount increase in the transition from high school into early college. However, we found the city-wide smoking ban interrupted this growth and resulted in a decrease in both cigarette smoking measures. The disruption in growth was counter to previous research with this sample that found an increase in alcohol use across the same time frame. This suggests that city-wide smoking bans can influence the smoking behaviors of college students, even when on a campus that allows smoking. Implications of these results, including the differential relationships between the covariates and the growth factors, will be discussed.