New VDH dashboard seeks to reduce tobacco use on college campuses

The Virginia Department of Health has launched a new initiative to reduce tobacco use on college campuses.

The Virginia Higher Education Tobacco Policy Dashboard is a collaboration between the VDH Tobacco Control Program and Eliminate Tobacco Use Virginia.

The dashboard, which presents the current landscape of tobacco policies, via tobacco policy report cards, across 49 public and private college and university campuses in Virginia, will be updated on an annual basis.​ It was created to help colleges and universities evaluate their current tobacco policies and make changes to improve their efforts to reduce student and employee tobacco use.

“By providing a detailed overview of current tobacco policies and offering targeted recommendations for improvement, this initiative empowers institutions to take proactive steps in reducing tobacco use and supporting cessation efforts,” said VDH Tobacco Control Program Epidemiologist Kyle Girone. “This collaborative effort, backed by a coalition of dedicated partners, underscores our commitment to creating tobacco-free environments that benefit students, employees, and the broader community.”

The effort is part of a broader attempt to make tobacco-free higher education environments a reality, VDH officials said in a statement.

Tobacco-free campus policies have been shown to be effective in reducing exposure to secondhand smoke and preventing students from using tobacco, according to the VDH. Research also shows that nearly 9 out of 10 adults who smoke cigarettes first tried smoking before the age of 18, and 99% of them did so by age 26.