A tobacco-free campus ambassador program and policy compliance.

OBJECTIVE Assess impact and feasibility of a Tobacco-Free Ambassador Program on campus policy compliance. PARTICIPANTS Trained Ambassadors made 253 visits to campus sites over 15 months to observe and/or approach violators. METHODS Policy violators were observed at 23 locations during Wave 1 (April-June 2012) and/or Wave 2 (April-June 2013). For locations with at least 5 visits, average violators per visit were compared between the 2 waves using a paired t test. Attributes of violators were summarized. Cigarette butts were collected over 3-day periods in 4 campus hotspots during each wave. Personnel time and cost to implement the program were determined. RESULTS There were declines in observed violators per Ambassador visit and number of cigarette butts over time. Rate of violators per visit declined from 5.47 to 1.93, a 65% decrease. Personnel time was equal to 1.5 full-time equivalents annually. CONCLUSIONS The Ambassador Program was a feasible and potentially effective strategy to increase policy compliance.