Factors Driving the Intention to Adopt a Tobacco-free Policy among Employees in a Public Higher Education Institution

Abstract

Due to their role as a centre of knowledge and character development,
public higher education institutions serve as the best platform for emphasising
health communication messages and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Higher
educational institutions’ employees should have good physical and mental
health to enable them to demonstrate good values to the students. Thus,
the social cognitive theory (SCT) was specifically selected to take a close
look at how a conducive environment and knowledge influence employees’
intention towards the tobacco-free policy. This study used the partial least
squares (PLS) and structural equation modelling (SEM) software to examine
factors influencing the adoption of tobacco-free policy among employees
in a Malaysian higher education institution. It also measured the impact of
workplace health promotion on employees’ intention to comply with tobacco
cessation regulations. Statistical results confirmed that all three constructs
of employees’ environment, self-efficacy, and knowledge have a significant influence on employees’ intention to adopt the tobacco-free policy. The results
of the study contribute to a better understanding of the effectiveness of higher
education institutions’ tobacco-free policy in Malaysia. The findings are useful
for policymakers, higher education institutions, and practitioners in enhancing
tobacco cessation policy in Malaysia. Limitations and suggestions for future
research are also included in this paper.