JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

College campuses in the United States have begun implementing Smoke and Tobacco-Free policies to discourage the use of tobacco. Smoke and Tobacco-Free policies, however, are contingent upon effective policy enforcement.

Objective:

To develop an empirically-derived online tracking tool (Tracker) for crowdsourcing campus environmental reports of tobacco use and waste to support smoke and tobacco-free college policies.

Methods:

An exploratory sequential mixed methods approach was utilized to inform the development and evaluation of the Tracker. In October 2018, three focus groups across two California universities were conducted and themes were analyzed, guiding Tracker development. After one year of implementation, users were asked in April 2020 to complete a survey about their experience.

Results:

In the focus groups, two major themes emerged: barriers and facilitators to tool utilization. Further Tracker development was guided by focus group input to address these barriers (e.g. information, policing, and logistical concerns) and facilitators (e.g. environmental motivators, positive reinforcement). Amongst 1,163 Tracker reports, those who completed the user survey (n=316) reported the top motivations to using the tool were having a cleaner environment (79%) and health concerns (69%).

Conclusions:

Environmental concerns, a motivator which emerged in focus groups, shaped the Tracker’s development and was cited by the majority of users surveyed as a top motivator for utilization.