School the place to learn lessons on tobacco-free policies and practical solutions

Schools have implemented far-ranging anti-smoking policies, says Sheila Duffy

In the decade or so since Scotland’s indoor public spaces became smoke-free, it’s clear that smoking has become sidelined in much of Scotland’s mainstream culture. Major health benefits have followed, along with changes in attitudes and behaviour towards smoking and tobacco. We now have a new generation growing up with smokefree environments as both an expectation and a right.

While significant progress has been made, much remains to be done if all of Scotland’s next generation is to grow up making healthy and informed choices on smoking.

Understandably, the many tobacco policies that support the translation and implementation of smoke-free legislation on a day-to-day basis have tended to focus on compliance and enforcement. These policies essentially highlight and clarify what people can and cannot do, where the policy applies, and the consequences of breaching it.

While a strong focus on compliance and enforcement has clearly had a major impact on attitudes and approaches to tobacco, Curriculum for Excellence and Getting it Right for Every Child make it clear that schools, and school staff, have a vital role to play in nurturing and supporting young people as they make the transition into adulthood. Young people are also keen to support others.

A subtle shift in school-based tobacco policies to support both policy compliance and a greater focus on healthpromotionwouldhelpschools and staff to own their position as posi- tive role models, minimise the mimicking of smoking behaviour, and help create an ethos that encourages young people to make healthy behaviour choices.

ASH Scotland and NHS Lothian have recently supported a dozen secondary schools to develop and introduce tobacco-free policies that go beyond simply stating where people can and cannot smoke. Instead they support teachers, staff and pupils to make healthy and positive lifestyle and behaviour choices on smoking and tobacco.

These schools from across the Lothians have developed and implemented tobacco-free policies that go further. They formally support health promotion, health protection, healthy role modelling behaviour, and encourage healthy behaviour choices. So what have these schools done in practice to deliver subtle, yet meaningful, changes to the way in which they look at tobacco issues on a day-to-day basis?

Schools have achieved consistent buy-in from pupils, teachers, parents and local communities by consulting effectively with them. By asking people for their views and reflecting that input in tobacco-free policies, they have boosted the profile of the health-promoting rationale behind the new policies.

Active consultation has also encouraged people to feel that they have a stake in an approach that will shape the choices and decisions that people make about their own health, and the health of those around them.

Schools have also recognised that in order to use their new tobacco-free