Nicotine- and tobacco-free schools: policy development and implementation toolkit

Overview

The tobacco epidemic continues to pose one of the biggest public health threats the world has faced. Despite a global decrease in the prevalence of tobacco use among all age groups during the last two decades, the rates of tobacco use in young people are concerning. Most adult smokers start smoking in adolescence, and prevalence trends in tobacco-smoking among 11–15-year-olds show a rapid increase by the age of 15 for both sexes.

The main concerns are that nicotine, a highly addictive chemical, tends to induce addiction in young developing brains much faster and at lower levels of consumption, and that nicotine has harmful effects on adolescents’ brain development. In addition, children are more vulnerable to different forms of marketing and peer pressure and are easily influenced by their role models.

This situation emphasizes the need for more effective and comprehensive measures to prevent the initiation of tobacco use among children and young people. As children spend one third of their daily time at school, it is imperative to offer them clean air and protect their information environment from the misleading and manipulative tactics of the tobacco industry. Developing nicotine- and tobacco-free school policies provides an effective means of attaining this goal.

This toolkit provides practical advice on developing nicotine- and tobacco-free school policies, offering examples related to communication, education and policy enforcement. The annexes contain templates and information that will support policy development.