Abstract
Although tobacco use is declining in several countries including India (dropping from 35% in 2009-10 to 29% 2016-17 among adults) - it still poses a huge burden on India, as the world's second largest consumer of tobacco products. In Bihar state, with a prevalence of 25%, the Bihar School Teachers Study (BSTS) successfully enlisted teachers as role models for encouraging quitting and changing social norms pertaining to tobacco. The study used a mixed-methods approach to identify factors associated with teachers' quitting. Qualitative data were collected through focus groups with teachers and school principals. Quantitative data were collected through a written survey administered to school personnel post-intervention. Key findings from focus groups were that teachers and principals quit using tobacco and promoted cessation because they wanted to model positive behaviors; specific information about tobacco's harms aided cessation; and the BSTS intervention facilitated a school environment that supported quitting. Survey results indicated teachers who reported knowing people who quit using tobacco in the prior year were far more likely to quit as were teachers who reported that their school's tobacco policy was completely enforced. The combination of qualitative and quantitative data yielded important insights with strong implications for future interventions.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 60-73 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Health education research |
Volume | 35 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 1 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [grant numbers 5R01 CA120958-05 to G.S. and 5 K05 CA108663 to G.S.].
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: [email protected].