CTPR partnered with the CDC Office on Smoking and Health to develop a tool for tobacco control practitioners and educational leaders to systematically evaluate the comprehensiveness of school tobacco control policies. The primary objectives of this project were to:

• Develop the School Tobacco Policy Index;
• Assess its reliability; and
• Present preliminary validation data.

Based on the empirical literature and the expertise of a national advisory panel, a “gold standard” school tobacco control policy was developed and guided the content of the Index. A “gold standard” or comprehensive policy addresses four domains:

1. Tobacco-free environment;
2. Enforcement;
3. Prevention and treatment services; and
4. Policy organization.

The 40-point Index was organized by the four domains. Each domain consists of a set of indicators, with the largest number of indicators (14) in the tobacco-free environment domain. One point is assigned for each indicator present in the policy being evaluated. A detailed instruction manual was also developed to provide additional information for coding the policies.

The Index was pilot-tested using 95 Missouri school district tobacco control policies and proved to be highly reliable among raters. There was a high level of variation among school districts, with the lowest total policy score of zero and the highest score of 21. School policy scores were significantly related to a number of county-level tobacco policy characteristics, including support for an excise tax increase and support for smoke-free restaurant ordinances. We begin to see a trend that shows that schools with more extensive tobacco control policies tend to be found in counties that have a higher level of support for an excise tax increase and for smoke-free restaurants.

The Index is a user-friendly, practical tool for tobacco control professionals and educators providing them with the ability to easily evaluate their own school policies. Their evaluation efforts will be useful in strengthening existing policies and developing new comprehensive policies to protect the health of students, staff, administrators, and visitors.

School Tobacco Policy Index: Rating Form

School Tobacco Policy Index: Manual