August 11, 2008
For Immediate Release

RCCC Survey: Most Agree
Second-Hand Smoke is Harmful

          SALISBURY, N.C. — A survey on smoking conducted by Rowan-Cabarrus Community College found its students, faculty and staff members agree on the harmful effects of second-hand smoke but differ on the topic of a smoke-free campus.

           RCCC conducted the survey under a $45,000 grant it has received from the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF) to inform students about the dangers of smoking and help student smokers kick the habit.

           The grant spans a two-and-one-half-year period, during which RCCC will develop a formal smoking restrictions policy and launch a number of efforts to reduce smoking and second-hand smoke exposure on campus. RCCC is one of 10 colleges in North Carolina to receive an HWTF grant through phase two of its Tobacco-Free Colleges Initiative.

           Almost 55 percent of RCCC students surveyed indicated they do not smoke, while nearly 81 percent of faculty and staff members described themselves as non-smokers. More than 64 percent of the students surveyed said they believed second-hand smoke is harmful to non-smokers, with almost 76 percent of faculty and staff members were in agreement.

           Students and faculty and staff members, however, differed when asked if they would support making RCCC campuses smoke free. Less than half (48.3 percent) of the students said they would back a smoke-free campus. Two-thirds (66.7 percent) of faculty and staff indicated they would support a college-wide tobacco-free policy.

           Among those taking the survey who identified themselves as smokers (students and employees), 34 percent said they would like help quitting.

           According to the HWTF, tobacco is the number-one preventable cause of premature death and disease in the United States. While teen tobacco use has declined in North Carolina over the past decade, smoking among 18-24 year olds has increased steadily. More than a quarter (28 percent) of 18-24 year-old North Carolinians smoke, representing the highest smoking rate across all age groups in the state.

           RCCC is using the HWTF grant to purchase supplies and materials, including cessation kits for students who want to stop smoking. RCCC will promote "Quitline-NC," a toll-free number (1-800-QUIT-NOW) people can call to get coaching and support to stop smoking and the QuitlineNC.com website. The grant also will help the college promote increased awareness of the risks of smoking and second-hand smoke, framing smoking as a public health issue rather than a lifestyle choice.

           HWTF has expanded its Tobacco-Free Colleges Initiative to a second phase to provide assistance to all North Carolina campuses in adopting and implementing comprehensive, campus-wide tobacco use policies. This program is similar to HWTF’s highly successful 100% Tobacco Free Schools Initiative, which worked with all 115 school districts to create 100-percent tobacco-free school policies.

          The HWTF-funded Tobacco-Free Colleges Initiative began in January 2006, and in phase one awarded grants to 20 organizations, working with 58 colleges in North Carolina. A recently released report issued by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill concluded the initiative was successful in its first year with policy gains, new campus coalitions, increased Quitline-NC promotions to young adults, and strong support from college officials.

           Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is a comprehensive, community-based institution of higher learning, serving the citizens of Rowan and Cabarrus Counties. RCCC offers approximately 40 programs of study in business, health and human services and engineering technologies at multiple campus locations. RCCC annually provides more than 2,000 course offerings, serving an enrollment of approximately 20,000 adult students. RCCC programs include an associate degree in arts and sciences, an associate degree in applied science, and diploma and certificate programs focusing on workforce training, continuing education and basic skills education.

           In addition, RCCC provides the education and job-training programs needed to meet many of the workforce demands of the North Carolina Research Campus, under construction in Kannapolis, N.C.

           For complete details, see the RCCC website at www.rowancabarrus.edu.