Leicestershire and Rutland's tobacco free schools programme
| Author(s)
Aaron W Bohannon, Jane Roberts and Ali Smith
| | Presenter(s) |
Aaron W Bohannon Senior Public Health Manager, Leicestershire County Council, Glenfield | Abstract Tobacco-free Leicestershire & Rutland (TLR) is the local tobacco control alliance for Leicestershire and Rutland Counties. TLR’s vision is to realise a Tobacco-free Community of Excellence in Leicestershire and Rutland where all people lead healthier and longer lives. An important part of the action plan for achieving this is turning off the tap by helping young people to never start, or to quit, using nicotine and a central part of that is the Tobacco Free Schools (TFS) programme.
Since its inception, the Leicestershire TFS programme has seen a reduction in the number of smokers, an increase in both student awareness that smokers are in the minority and in disapproval of smoking. The TFS programme, led by Healthy Schools, is based on NICE guidance (PH 23) and takes an evidence-based, social norming approach working with several partners (including Healthy Schools, the Stop Smoking service, School nurses and Trading Standards as well as the schools themselves) to make it work effectively within a school setting.
| Presenter biography A Senior Public Health Manager with Leicestershire County Council, Aaron is responsible for coordinating the local alliance and managing the overall tobacco control program; including commissioning prevention, cessation and enforcement services.
Prior to this post Aaron served as the Regional Development Manager (Stop Smoking Services) for the Department of Health West Midlands and was a Smoke free Enforcement Officer in Leicestershire. With more than a decade’s experience in public health, Aaron has worked in tobacco control on both sides of the pond and before relocating from the US he worked with the American Cancer Society the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation.
| Source of funding: Leicestershire County Council Public Health grant.
| Declaration of interest: I have no conflicts of interest that I am aware of.
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