Objective:
Smoking among young adults aged 18-24 years is a growing public health concern. Tobacco control in medical schools and nursing colleges is especially important because most of the students become healthcare professionals, who may be responsible for treatment or prevention of tobacco-related diseases. In this study, we aimed to elucidate tobacco control policies in medical schools and nursing colleges in Japan.

Methods:
A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 82 medicals schools and 209 nursing colleges in late 2017.

Results:
Seventy-five (91%) medical schools and 105 (50%) nursing colleges responded the survey. Among the 75 medical schools, 69 (92%) prohibited smoking in the entire campus including university hospital, whereas 6 had smoking area outside the buildings. Thirty-eight medical schools had sub-campuses including research buildings, among which 10 had open-air smoking area and 1 had a smoking room in the building. Seventy medical schools share a campus with other faculties. In 3 (4%) of them, tobacco was sold in the campus. Among 105 nursing colleges, 80 (76%) prohibited smoking in the entire campus, whereas 19 had open-air smoking area and 6 had smoking rooms. Sixteen (21%) medical schools and 20 (19%) nursing colleges had no lecture or instruction concerning the risks of smoking.

Conclusions:
In most medical schools and nursing colleges in Japan, tobacco control policies are strict but there is room for improvement.