Tobacco Use Cessation
Conditions
Brief summary
BRIEF SUMMARY: This study, which is closed to enrollment, is testing the efficacy of a tobacco-control intervention geared towards school teachers in Bihar, India. This cluster randomized trial aims to promote tobacco use cessation among teachers and increase tobacco policy adoption in 72 Bihar schools. Teachers are the focus of the study because as role models for youth and key opinion leaders related to community norms, they represent an important group for tobacco control. Teachers in Bihar also have reported high rates of tobacco use. According to the Global School Personnel Survey conducted in 2006, 39% of teachers in the eastern region of India (which includes Bihar) use some form of tobacco, compared to the national average of 29%. This study aims to reduce these numbers through discussion groups with teachers, individual cessation counseling, educational materials, and a tobacco policy workgroup in each intervention school. This study is a collaboration between US researchers and researchers at the Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, Mumbai India.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALTobacco Free Teachers, Tobacco Free Society (TFT/TFS)
A 7-month intervention was conducted over one academic year & included the following core components: 1. A Lead Teacher (LT) in each school was appointed and trained to facilitate the program on-site; 2. A tobacco policy was implemented; 3. Study health educators and LTs conducted group discussions with teachers addressing 6 intervention themes; 4. Materials; 5. Support for tobacco use cessation. Schools randomized to delayed intervention control condition did not receive any intervention until after final data collection, when they were given a 3-month shortened intervention.
Sponsors
Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health
Carelon Research
University of Minnesota
School of Preventive Oncology
Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Government schools including grades 8-10 from within 10 school districts
Exclusion criteria
* Schools with fewer than 8 teachers * Schools located in flood zones
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 6-month abstinence from tobacco | assessed 9-months post-intervention |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Adoption of a school tobacco policy | 9-month post-intervention |
| short-term tobacco use cessation | Average of 3 weeks post-intervention |
Countries
India
Outcome results
None listed