Rocky Mountain Center for Health Promotion and Education

The Alaska K-12 Tobacco Prevention Initiative

Alaska’s K-12 Tobacco Prevention Initiative is funded by the Tobacco Prevention and Control (TPC) Program of the State Department of Health and Social Services/Chronic Disease and Health Promotion Program.

The TPC Program is a statewide public health effort aimed solely at reducing the toll of tobacco-related death and disease. Reducing tobacco use among Alaska youth is a priority. School-based tobacco prevention programs, when used in conjunction with other statewide and community efforts, are a promising strategy to accomplish these reductions.

Successful school-based tobacco prevention programs incorporate the following five key components adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Guidelines for School Health Programs to Prevention Tobacco Use and Addiction:

• Policy
• Classroom instruction
• Cessation
• Family Engagement
• Community Linkages

Alaska uses the Coordinated School Health Model to support tobacco prevention and health in schools. School wellness teams come together to assess the health-related needs of students, staff and families using the School Health Index. Schools then develop, implement and evaluate tailored plans for addressing tobacco prevention and health in their schools. Schools are encouraged to partner with others in their community to support community-wide tobacco prevention and cessation efforts.

Since 2007, the TPC has awarded RMC funding to provide training and technical assistance to support the work of the K-12 Tobacco Prevention Initiative across Alaska’s school districts.