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Survey Shows Students Agree with Non-Smoking Policy
(Posted: May 6, 2005) (Printable Version)
A statistically based survey shows that a majority of the students at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith agree with the recently instituted non-smoking policy on campus.
Carol Warner, assistant professor of mathematics, and her Probability and Statistics class conducted a random survey of 1,021 students, faculty and staff on the campus this month. Students in the class collected the data as a class project, using techniques learned in the class to evaluate the data.
Warner said respondents were asked three questions: Are you male or female? Do you smoke cigarettes? Do you agree or disagree with the campus-wide non-smoking policy?
Warner’s class found that 57 percent of those polled agreed that cigarette smoking should not be allowed on campus, with 60 percent of the females, 54 percent of the males, 18 percent of the smokers, and 73 percent of the non-smokers in agreement with the policy.
Among other techniques, the students calculated confidence intervals for the true population proportion and the margin of error.
“The study found, with 95 percent confidence,” Warner said, “that the true population proportion of those who agreed with the policy was between 54 percent and 60 percent, with a plus or minus three percent margin of error.”
Warner cited an interesting discovery made while conducting this survey:
“Approximately 27 percent of the students, faculty, and staff smoke cigarettes.”
The latest statistics from the American Cancer Society show that 22.5 percent of all adults smoke, and 29 percent of all 18-24 year-olds smoke.
“According to the American Cancer Society,” Warner said, “those who quit smoking by the age of 35 can avoid 90 percent of the health risks due to smoking. But quitting the habit is hard for many.”
Statistics show that 70 percent of the smokers nationwide want to quit, and 35 percent attempt to quit each year, yet fewer than five percent succeed.
“I was really proud of my class for selecting this timely topic as a class project,” said Warner. “It was truly a group effort. It was interesting to read some of the comments from the surveys. Even among those students who disagreed with the non-smoking policy, many mentioned that they appreciated the fact that they no longer had to walk through clouds of smoke outside the building entrances. And, there were numerous comments that the campus was more attractive without the litter associated with cigarette smoking.”
Warner said she believes students are able to apply what they learn in class in a more meaningful way if they use a survey topic that interests them.
“It’s a combination of classroom instruction and real life laboratory experiences, like this survey, that help a student realize the reasons behind what is taught in the classroom itself,” she said.
Those conducting the survey included:
Alma: Stacy Gregory.
Cameron: Kevin Edwards.
Cedarville: Travis Mankins.
Charleston: Melinda Williams.
Fort Smith: Belinda Chen, Diana Chu, Heather Clement, Jeremy Davies, Kathy Dickerson, Mike Hassler, June Hess, Elizabeth Hickman, Hanan Ihmeidan, Mary Raynor, Sakvibola Tath, Morgan York and Lindsey Young.
Greenwood: Cordelia Heffner, Tyler Shaw and Dana Teague.
Huntington: Tammie Lopez.
Lavaca: Jeanna McKee and Amber Stout.
Mansfield: Stephanie Doherty.
Mena: Audria Daniels.
Mulberry: Tara Jeffers.
Muldrow: Cynthia Jackson and Kimberly Keith.
Roland: Jacob Matlock.
Sallisaw: Andrea Bridgewater and Danielle Sainer.
Spiro: Amneh Butler.
Van Buren: Janet Johnson and Treasia Wilbourn.
The UA Fort Smith campus went smoke- and tobacco-free on Jan. 1.
| Article by: Carol Warner, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, and Sondra LaMar, Director of Public Relations | |
| Photo(s) by: Carol Hill, Secretary, College of Arts and Sciences |
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