Tobacco Free Teachers-Tobacco Free Society program

Building upon lessons learned from the Bihar School Teachers Study (2009-2013) and the subsequent pilot study in 2014-2015, Drs. Sorensen, Viswanath, Nagler and the Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health have undertaken a Dissemination and Implementation study (2017-2021) to learn how to work within the Bihar Department of Education (DOE) system to support and deliver the Tobacco Free Teachers-Tobacco Free Society program within schools. The study team will use a cluster-randomized design to: assess program effectiveness in improving tobacco policy implementation and increasing tobacco use cessation; and monitor secular trends in tobacco control. The overall study goal is to develop the knowledge, products and processes needed to broadly disseminate evidence-based tobacco control interventions for school teachers in India through readily accessible and sustainable channels.

Members of the Harvard Chan/DFCI team collaborate with members of Healis Sekhsaria Institute of Public Health in Navi Mumbai on a dissemination and implementation tobacco control study for teachers in Bihar, India. Seen here are study team members, Dr. Eve Nagler, Dr. Prakash Gupta, Dr. Mangesh Pednekar, Leah Jones
Photo courtesy of Leah Jones, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health