BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: After a six-year negotiation, Trinity became a tobacco-free campus and showed a 79% reduction in observed smoking from 2016 to 2020. Smoking was observed through a Living Lab approach that employed student Ambassadors to count smokers on campus 6-8 times per week during semester, while reminding them of the tobacco-free policy. Post COVID-19, Ambassadors observed increased vaping but had no remit to approach vapers because the protracted negotiation to become tobacco-free excluded e-cigarettes.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: The Living Lab approach to tobacco-free Trinity already in place was extended to include vaping. Ambassadors added a count of vaping to their weekly campus circuits from October 2022 onwards; an all-university online survey of vaping prevalence and attitudes was sent to 22362 students/staff; stop-smoking courses were re-designed with health service partners to incorporate stop-vaping; student led communications were launched; anti-vaping assignments were incorporated into curriculum; and government lobbying for stronger regulation was undertaken.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: Preliminary results found that from Oct2022-Oct2024, 47% of observed nicotine use on campus (n=2608) was vaping. Data collection is ongoing. The vaping prevalence survey (n=2683, 14.2%) found extremely high vaping on campus (paper complete, expected publication March 2025); student-led communications and assignments are ongoing (100 Social Marketing students have completed assignments) and two submissions using the activity to date have been made to government consultations on vaping, recommending disposable and all vaping be phased out of Ireland using the Precautionary Principle to achieve Healthy Planet, Healthy People.
CONCLUSIONS: A Living Lab approach to Tobacco-Free Campus has been flexible enough to incorporate vaping and is a recommended vehicle for lobbying government to protect young people from addiction to nicotine via e-cigarettes.