Tobacco Use Prevention Through Schools

Schools play a critical role in promoting the health of our nation’s youth and helping them establish lifelong healthy behaviors. To help prevent tobacco use and addiction among young people, CDC supports effective school-based policies, programs, and practices to address this major health issue. School programs to prevent tobacco use and addiction will be most effective if they—

• Prohibit tobacco use at all school facilities and events at all times
• Encourage and help students and staff to quit using tobacco
• Provide developmentally appropriate instruction in grades K–12 that addresses the social and psychological causes of tobacco use
• Are part of a coordinated school health program through which teachers, students, families, administrators, and community leaders deliver consistent messages about tobacco use
• Are implemented within the context of and reinforced by communitywide efforts to prevent tobacco use and addiction