Regional transformation to capacity-building and curriculum infusion in school-based tobacco prevention

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Tobacco Control Project (SEPA TCP) coordinates tobacco control and prevention activities across a large urban, suburban, and rural seven-county region.

Prior to October 2008, SEPA TCP's tobacco prevention activities focused primarily on providing direct services to students through one-time presentations in schools. The Project shifted its regional school-based prevention model from direct services to an evidence-based model that seeks to build the capacity of schools to offer their own anti-tobacco programming and infuse tobacco-related education into existing curricula. The rationale for the shift was to promote best practices, maximize the Project's impact and dollars, promote a no-tobacco, pro-health community norm, and ensure sustainability by increasing the skills and competencies of schools.

SEPA TCP's funded school-based prevention activities now include technical assistance and training to school personnel on: implementation of tobacco-free school policies and prevention curricula, integration of tobacco-related topics into existing curricula, and facilitation of anti-tobacco youth empowerment groups.

Lessons learned in this regional shift will be helpful to other tobacco control programs planning to make a similar transition. Key steps in the transition included:

· Setting the new agenda for school-based prevention

· Seeking buy-in from service providers

· Overcoming resistance through education on best practices and technical assistance from a respected source

· Equipping service providers with the skills needed to implement new activities

Specific evaluation tools were designed to track the Project's activities and monitor changes in schools' capacity to implement tobacco prevention initiatives.