Quantifying littered cigarette butts to measure effectiveness of smoking bans to building perimeters. By: Christopher M. Seitz, Robert W. Strack, Muhsin Michael Orsini, Carrie Rosario, Christie Haugh, Rebecca Rice, David L. Wyrick & Lorelei Wagner This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Seitz, C. M., Strack, R. W., Orsini, M. M., Rosario, C., Haugh, C., Rice, R., Wyrick, D. L., & Wagner, L. (2012). Quantifying littered cigarette butts to measure effectiveness of smoking bans to building perimeters. Journal of American College Health, 60(4), 331-334. [copyright Taylor & Francis], available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/07448481.2011.609205. Abstract: Objective: The authors estimated the number of violations of a university policy that prohibited smoking within 25 ft of all campus buildings. Participants: The project was conducted by 13 student researchers from the university and a member of the local public health department. Methods: Students quantified cigarette butts that were littered in a 30-day period inside the prohibited smoking area of 7 campus buildings (large residential hall, small residential hall, administrative building, 2 academic buildings, campus cafeteria, and student union). Results: Investigators found a total of 7,861 cigarette butts (large residential hall: 1,198; small residential hall: 344; administrative building: 107; 2 academic buildings: 1,123 and 806; campus cafeteria: 2,651; and student union: 1,632). Conclusions: Findings suggest that there is low compliance with the university's smoking policy. The described project may be repeated by students at other universities as a method to advocate for policy change. administration | community health | health education | smoking ban | public health | Keywords: cigarette smoking Article: Secondhand smoke contains at least 250 toxic chemicals that increase one's risk of developing lung cancer, heart disease, and vascular health problems. 1 The Surgeon General, 1 the Community Guide to Preventive Services, 2 and the American College Health Association 3 all recommend smoking bans and restrictions to protect individuals from exposure to secondhand smoke. In order to decrease student, faculty, and staff exposure to secondhand smoke, numerous colleges have implemented policies that prohibit smoking around the entrances or perimeters of campus buildings. 4 Although research on the topic is limited, a few studies indicate that most smokers on college campuses do not comply with outdoor smoking policies. 5 – 7 To further understand the compliance, or lack thereof, of outdoor smoking policies on college campuses, this Experiences From the Field article describes a project conducted to estimate how often an