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.