Correlation between the Tobacco Free Educational Institution (TOFEI) Policy Compliance and Current Tobacco use among 13-15 Years Old School Students in Urban India: An Ecological Study.

BACKGROUND

The government of India has developed Guidelines for "Tobacco Free Educational Institutions" (TOFEI), which must be followed by schools across the country.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

This study utilized an ecological design to identify an association between "compliance to TOFEI guidelines" and the "current tobacco use" among 13-15 years school students in urban India. Aggregate data related to "current tobacco users" and "percentage of schools that followed tobacco-free guidelines" were taken from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) India- 4 (2019). We performed a simple linear regression model, and Pearson Correlation was used to see the said association.

RESULTS

The results showed that as compliance with TOFEI Guidelines increases in Urban India, Current Tobacco Use decreases among school students in the 13-15 years age group.

CONCLUSION

Thus, it is essential to address enablers and barriers to adherence to the TOFEI guidelines, as it will help reduce the prevalence of tobacco use among adolescents in urban India.