Mobilizing Youth for Action Against Tobacco in India

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this project is to prevent the onset and reduce the prevalence of tobacco use among adolescents in India. There are three specific aims of the project. 1) To conduct a randomized, multi component, community intervention trial in 4 cities and 56 schools in India, focusing on preventing the onset and reducing the prevalence of tobacco use among adolescents in grades 6-9, using an updated Project Health Related Information Dissemination Among Youth (HRIDAY) intervention. 2) To increase the capacity of researchers in India to conduct large scale behavioral interventions, including applying behavioral theories in intervention design, developing valid and reliable measures, conducting thorough process evaluation, tracking a large number of students over time, and analyzing data using appropriate methods for group randomized trials. 3) To increase the capacity of school students, school staff and community members to conduct effective tobacco control to reduce adolescent tobacco use. Two large cities (Delhi and Chennai) and two middle-sized towns (Indore and Bhubaneswar) will be recruited. Within cities, 12-16 schools will be selected, matched, and randomly assigned to one of two conditions: the Project HRIDAY multi component intervention or delayed intervention program (control). The Project HRIDAY condition involves classroom based behavioral curricula in grades 6-9, parental education, media advocacy, peer leadership, and community linkage programs. The delayed program condition will receive intervention programs and training in Year 5 of the study. All intervention materials will be developed by the investigators based on prior research. The interventions will be evaluated with two cohort samples of young adolescents over two years. The cohorts will be in grades 6 and 8 in each of the 56 schools at pretest. Outcomes with adults will be measured using interviews with a sample of adults in the neighborhoods near the schools. Process measures will assess teacher compliance and feedback, peer participation and perceptions, and implementation of the parent, media, and community components. Capacity building will be accomplished through an extended seminar at the University of Minnesota; face to face meetings among the investigators; training sessions with community coordinators, community facilitators from local non government organizations, teachers and peer leaders; and a dissemination workshop with representatives from all states and territories in India.