Intermediate Outcomes from Project MYTRI: Mobilizing Youth for Tobacco-Related Initiatives in India

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present the intermediate results for Project MYTRI, a school-based, multiple component intervention designed to prevent and reduce many forms of tobacco use (chewing tobacco, cigarettes, and bidis) among youth in India. The intervention is based on effective models in the United States ''translated'' for use in this context. The intervention targets two cohorts of students who were in the 6th and 8th grade when the study started. Thirtytwo schools in Delhi (north India) and Chennai (south India) were randomized to receive the intervention (n = 16) or serve as a delayed intervention control (n = 16). Students in these schools were surveyed before the intervention began and at an intermediate point, 1 year into this 2-year intervention (n = 8,369). A test of the changes in risk factors for tobacco use between the baseline and intermediate surveys revealed that, compared with the control, students in the intervention condition (a) had better knowledge about the health effects of tobacco (P < 0.01); (b) believed that there were more negative social consequences to using tobacco (P = 0.04); (c) had fewer reasons to use tobacco (P < 0.01); (d) had more reasons not to use tobacco (P = 0.03); (e) were less socially susceptible to chewing (P = 0.04) and smoking (P = 0.03) tobacco; (f) perceived fewer peers and adults around them smoked (P < 0.01) or chewed (P < 0.01) tobacco; (g) felt that tobacco use was not acceptable, especially among their peers (P < 0.01); (h) were more confident in their ability to advocate for tobacco control (P = 0.03); (i) were more knowledgeable about tobacco control policies (P < 0.01); and (j) supported these policies, too (P = 0.04). Fewer students in the intervention condition reported having intentions to smoke tobacco in the next year (P = 0.02) or chew tobacco when they reached college (P < 0.01). No changes in actual tobacco use were observed at this stage of the study. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(6):1050 -6)

Tobacco use in Bollywood movies, tobacco promotional activities and their association with tobacco use among Indian adolescents

“…The survey instrument was culturally adapted for India from a questionnaire used in previous studies13 and translated into Hindi language for administration in low SES schools, in part based on a previously validated instrument 14. The paper-and-pencil-based, self-administered questionnaire was implemented in the classrooms by teams using a standardised protocol.…”

A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial of Varenicline for Smokeless Tobacco Dependence in India

“…Consistent with drug labeling and past trials (Gray, Carpenter, Lewis, Klintworth, & Upadhyaya, 2012), participants whose weight was <55 kg were given varenicline 1 mg once per day. All participants received behavioral counseling, a six-session, manual-based intervention modeled on past studies (Dale et al, 2007;Severson, Andrews, Lichtenstein, Gordon, & Barckley, 1998) and revised for cultural relevance based on studies conducted in India (e.g., Stigler et al, 2007). The intervention was designed to enhance awareness of the harmful effects of smokeless tobacco, assist the person in developing skills to quit and avoid relapse, and instruct the participant on medication use (Ebbert, Carr, & Dale, 2004).…”

Systematic Review to Inform Dual Tobacco Use Prevention

“…One barrier is the relative newness of the field of dual tobacco use interventions research and the manner in which findings are published in the literature. 14,18 This issue has arisen in other systematic reviews of health communication because of variable use of keywords and descriptors for interventions. 25 Because dual use tobacco control is an emerging strategy, there are few well-recognized keywords that can be used to identify literature on the topic.…”