Adolescents and teachers perceptions regarding current tobacco control practices and potential initiatives

Abstract

Early exposure to tobacco leads to detrimental effects on the health and well-being of people. There are a few newer legislations being planned to step up the efforts taken for tobacco control. The objective of the study is to explore the perceptions of adolescents and teachers regarding current packaging, curbing tobacco sales and tobacco-free generation in a southern Indian district. Focus group discussions with adolescents between 6th and 10th grade (age: 11–15 years) and semi-structured interviews with teachers were conducted, with discussion on three key issues: tobacco sales, current tobacco packaging and tobacco-free generation. These were conducted in the school premises, in English or regional language. The data was managed using NVivo Software and analysed using thematic framework. Both stakeholders highlighted the need for such laws in the country. They also emphasized lacunae in implementation of existing policies, thus calling for stricter enforcement of these proposed tobacco control legislations.