Four years ago, on World No Tobacco Day 2014, a line was drawn in the sand when we made UNSW entirely smoke free.
UNSW was one of the first Universities in Australia to go entirely smoke free.
In the 4 years since that day, the UNSW health promotion and wellbeing community has helped create a cultural and social shift in the way tobacco is viewed. It’s now hard to imagine people smoking at in our University cafes, food areas or public spaces.
Being a smoke free campus aligns UNSW’s world leading health education and research with best practice policy, encouraging healthy behaviour by students, staff and visitors.
UNSW now has one of the lowest smoking rates in Australia, with approximately 9 per cent of staff regularly smoking according to staff surveys.
The ‘cool factor’ that was once the keystone of Big Tobacco is well and truly gone.
That said there’s still much to do with too many UNSW students and staff still smoking.
The harmful effects of smoking tobacco are well-known. There is no safe level of exposure to smoke, including second-hand smoke.
If you’re ready to quit, why not call the UNSW Health Service to discuss approaches that are going to give you the best chance of success.
