Screening and Brief Intervention for Tobacco Use by Student Health Providers on College Campuses

Abstract

Objective: This study assessed college students’ reports of tobacco screening and brief intervention by student health center providers. Participants: Participants were 3,800 students from 8 universities in North Carolina. Methods: Web-based survey of a stratified random sample of undergraduates. Results: Fifty-three percent reported ever visiting their student health center. Of those, 62% reported being screened for tobacco use. Logistic regression revealed screening was higher among females and smokers, compared to nonsmokers. Among students who were screened and who reported tobacco use, 50% reported being advised to quit or reduce use. Brief intervention was more likely among current daily smokers compared to current nondaily smokers, as well as at schools with higher smoking rates. Screening and brief intervention were more likely at schools with lower clinic caseloads. Conclusions: Results highlight the need to encourage college health providers to screen every patient at every visit and to provide brief intervention for tobacco users.

Keywords:

• cessation
• smoking
• tobacco

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This publication was supported by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) grant R01AA14007 and by funds from the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Service of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the US Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention through the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws program, and Wake Forest University Interim Funding. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism or the National Institutes of Health.