Health promotion policy in Australian universities - a smoke-free policies case study

Ensuring public spaces and institutions are healthy and encourage health promotion is an important public health initiative. Universities in Australia have begun to introduce policies that support health promotion activities. This study explores one such area of health promotion activity, the introduction of university tobacco policies. This research documents the aims of these policies, their development, and whether their implementation aligns with the stated goals. Policy and supporting documents were downloaded from the public facing websites of 23 Australian universities identified as having tobacco policy. Policies were analysed using a purpose-built policy and document analysis tool that allowed the examination of the motivations and processes behind the policy development and an exploration of consistencies across policy objectives. This research found that policy background and legislative obligations were clearly and uniformly stated, as were the smoke-free policy goals. Some universities provided clear policy intent, such as measurable goals or links between motivation, goals, and outcomes; however, many of the policies and supporting documents did not demonstrate key aspects of the policy process. This research should be encouraging for the increasing number of educational institutions that are developing health promoting policies, but it is also a timely reminder that policy development processes should be more transparent, documenting motivation and incorporating evaluation, to ensure they are fully understood and sustainable. This research reveals the need for further detailed policy analysis within the university setting and other organisational settings to better understand what sits behind the policy landscape visible through publicly available documentation.