Tobacco-Free Schools in Practice: Policy Presence and Enforcement in Baltimore Schools
Abstract
Highlights
- While many policies existed across the 20 participating schools, their enforcement was widely inconsistent The most present and enforced policies are the ones that require little or no funding/resources.
- Greater attention may be needed to support policy implementation and to reduce variability in school-level practices.policies that require minimal funding are more likely to be enforced, indicating that resource availability influences implementation.
Abstract
1. Introduction
Aims
2. Methods
2.1. Design and Setting
2.2. Ethics
2.3. Participants
2.4. Survey Instrument
2.5. Additional Data Source
2.6. Statistical Approach
3. Results
3.1. School Characteristics
3.2. Policy Enforcement
4. Discussion
4.1. Limitations
4.2. Implications
4.3. Future Research
4.4. Future Interventions for Schools
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Prohibition policies |
|
|
|
Communication of policies |
The smoke- and vape-free school environment policy is communicated to students. |
The smoke- and vape-free school environment policy is communicated to teachers/staff. |
The smoke- and vape-free school environment policy is communicated to parents/guardian. |
The smoke- and vape-free school environment policy is communicated at enrollment. |
The smoke- and vape-free school environment policy is communicated every semester. |
The smoke- and vape-free school environment policy is communicated at the beginning of a school year. |
School-level support |
The school screens students for tobacco use at any time. |
The school allocates some funds to tobacco use prevention programs. |
An interdepartmental team supports tobacco use prevention initiatives and policies in the school. |
There are “No-Smoking/Vaping” signs around the school environment/building. |
There is a tobacco education program in the school/school curriculum. |
There is a tobacco cessation program/initiative in the school. |
Baltimore City School board has a smoke- and vape-free school environment policy. |
Disciplinary enforcement |
The student code of conduct disciplinary action is used for students violating the smoke- and vape-free school environment policy. |
The school reprimands first offenders and suspends/dismisses repeat offenders for teacher/staff violation of the smoke- and vape-free school environment policy. |
The school warns, and as appropriate, requests to leave the school building/school grounds for visitor violation of the smoke- and vape-free school environment policy. |
Demographics (n = 20) | Median | Range | |
---|---|---|---|
Minimum | Maximum | ||
Race (%) | |||
African American | 85.0 | 30.0 | 95.0 |
Hispanic | 8.0 | 5.0 | 59.0 |
White | 5.0 | 5.0 | 17.0 |
Asian | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
American Indian | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
Pacific Islander | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
Multiracial | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
5-Star School Ranking | 2.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 |
Overall Performance Score (%) | 43.5 | 21.6 | 68.9 |
Graduation Rate (%) | 77.5 | 10.0 | 95.0 |
% Poverty rate (Title 1 eligibility) | 71.0 | 42.0 | 82.0 |
School Neighborhood Data | |||
Income of School Zip code (Median Household) | USD 48,837.5 | USD 37.207.0 | USD 87,669.0 |
% Education level of School Zip code (Bachelors’ Degree or Higher) | 23.7 | 12.4 | 60.8 |
Policy Domain and Item | n/20 | % |
---|---|---|
Policy Existence | ||
Prohibition Policies | ||
Sale/use prohibited in Board buildings and grounds | 12 | 60 |
Prohibited in vehicles (including buses) | 11 | 55 |
Smoking prohibited within 50 feet of school/playgrounds | 8 | 40 |
Existence of citywide school board smoke-/vape-free policy | 10 | 50 |
Physical Signs | ||
No-Smoking/Vaping signs posted | 7 | 35 |
Screening, Education, and Prevention Support | ||
School screens students for tobacco use | 4 | 20 |
Tobacco cessation program available | 3 | 15 |
Interdepartmental team supports prevention | 3 | 15 |
Tobacco education in curriculum | 2 | 10 |
Funds allocated for tobacco prevention | 2 | 10 |
Policy Enforcement | ||
Communication of Smoke-Free Policy | ||
Smoke-free policies communicated to students | 14 | 70 |
Smoke-free policies communicated to teachers/staff | 13 | 65 |
Smoke-free policies communicated to parents/guardians | 10 | 50 |
Smoke-free policies communicated at beginning of school year | 10 | 50 |
Smoke-free policies communicated at enrollment | 6 | 30 |
Smoke-free policies communicated every semester | 6 | 30 |
Enforcement and Disciplinary Action | ||
Student code of conduct used for violations | 12 | 60 |
Staff reprimanded/suspended for violations | 11 | 55 |
Visitors warned or removed for violations | 11 | 55 |
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© 2025 by the authors. Published by MDPI on behalf of the Polish Respiratory Society. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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Egboluche, C.; Barsha, R.A.A.; Assari, S.; Mercure, M.; Laveau, M.; Olateju, O.; Sheikhattari, P. Tobacco-Free Schools in Practice: Policy Presence and Enforcement in Baltimore Schools. Adv. Respir. Med. 2025, 93, 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/arm93040028
Egboluche C, Barsha RAA, Assari S, Mercure M, Laveau M, Olateju O, Sheikhattari P. Tobacco-Free Schools in Practice: Policy Presence and Enforcement in Baltimore Schools. Advances in Respiratory Medicine. 2025; 93(4):28. https://doi.org/10.3390/arm93040028
Chicago/Turabian StyleEgboluche, Chidubem, Rifath Ara Alam Barsha, Shervin Assari, Michelle Mercure, Marc Laveau, Oluwatosin Olateju, and Payam Sheikhattari. 2025. "Tobacco-Free Schools in Practice: Policy Presence and Enforcement in Baltimore Schools" Advances in Respiratory Medicine 93, no. 4: 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/arm93040028
APA StyleEgboluche, C., Barsha, R. A. A., Assari, S., Mercure, M., Laveau, M., Olateju, O., & Sheikhattari, P. (2025). Tobacco-Free Schools in Practice: Policy Presence and Enforcement in Baltimore Schools. Advances in Respiratory Medicine, 93(4), 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/arm93040028