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

Abstract

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.