Examining tobacco use, policy awareness, and policy support at the intersection of gender and race: A cross-sectional study of students at the University of Washington

Abstract

Use of tobacco products among college students continue to rise across the United States, leading many post-secondary institutions to adopt 100% tobacco-free policies. Disparities in tobacco use and policy support are perpetuated by racism and sexism and can be further exacerbated by one’s racial or gender identity. This cross-sectional study utilizes an intersectionality framework to analyze responses of students enrolled at the University of Washington in the Fall of 2020 or the Fall of 2021 to determine how gender and race intersect to influence tobacco use, policy awareness, and policy support. Using responses from an online survey, 16 logistic regression analyses were conducted. The study showed that there was a significant association between gender and policy support (p=0.001), as well as gender and past 30-day tobacco use (p=0.015); females were more likely to support tobacco policies and less likely to report recent tobacco use. The only significant gender x race interaction was for policy awareness regarding hookah use (p=0.03); females, who identified as a race other than white, were more likely to properly identify policy regulations related to hookahs. We recommend that UW develops targeted messaging strategies to address unique risk factors among student groups to gain support of policy changes, as well as improve the clarity, placement, and promotion of tobacco policies on campus to address low overall awareness of current policies. Future research efforts should include additional sociodemographic factors that have been shown to contribute to disparities in tobacco use and policy support, such as sexual orientation and socioeconomic status, to identify the need for strategies that provide appropriate support for these groups on campus.