Guidelines for school health programs to prevent tobacco use and addiction. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Abstract

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. The majority of daily smokers (82%) began smoking before 18 years of age, and more than 3,000 young persons begin smoking each day. School programs designed to prevent tobacco use could become one of the most effective strategies available to reduce tobacco use in the United States. The following guidelines summarize school-based strategies most likely to be effective in preventing tobacco use among youth. They were developed by CDC in collaboration with experts from 29 national, federal, and voluntary agencies and with other leading authorities in the field of tobacco-use prevention to help school personnel implement effective tobacco-use prevention programs. These guidelines are based on an in-depth review of research, theory, and current practice in the area of school-based tobacco-use prevention. The guidelines recommend that all schools a) develop and enforce a school policy on tobacco use, b) provide instruction about the short- and long-term negative physiologic and social consequences of tobacco use, social influences on tobacco use, peer norms regarding tobacco use, and refusal skills, c) provide tobacco-use prevention education in kindergarten through 12th grade, d) provide program-specific training for teachers, e) involve parents or families in support of school-based programs to prevent tobacco use, f) support cessation efforts among students and all school staff who use tobacco, and g) assess the tobacco-use prevention program at regular intervals.