Nurse's role in creating a smoke-free environment in higher education institutions

Abstract

Cigarette smoke that exhaled from smokers will cause air pollution and have adverse effects on  the environment and directly affects health in non-smokers. Therefore, creating a smoke-free environment is a way to support and encourage individuals to change their health behaviors which leads to good physical and mental health under the scope nurses’ role in health promotion,  disease prevention,  medical treatment, and rehabilitation to create readiness and cooperation of teachers, students, and communities in driving the university to become a smoke-free higher education institution. This article gathers knowledge from research evidence and literature reviews to propose a nurse’s role guideline for smoke-free environmental management in higher education institutions. The role of nurses is to reduce health risks and prevent various diseases caused by exposure to secondhand smoke.