Guiding Principles

TUPE uses a five-level​ social-ecological model to assess environmental and interpersonal factors that can encourage or discourage tobacco use among youth.

Each level identifies a point of influence and opportunities to intervene:

• Individual: Personal factors such as students’ knowledge and attitudes about tobacco and marijuana. TUPE programs equip students with the knowledge and skills to avoid these substances. 

• Interpersonal: The influence of others in students’ lives. TUPE programs enlist the support of family and community members and cultivate a social norm of tobacco-free living. 

• School: The influence of teachers, staff, and schools themselves. TUPE programs implement tobacco-free policies and provide services to support tobacco-free norms and promote school connectedness.

• Community: Influences in students’ broader environments, such as exposure to pro- and anti-tobacco messaging. TUPE programs collaborate with local partners to ensure that community influences are as positive as possible.

• Public Policy: The influence of laws and regulations. TUPE programs coordinate with local partners to strengthen tobacco policies and may engage students in activities such as educating policymakers about emerging products.

This holistic model provides a framework that helps TUPE programs structure their offerings most effectively.

The Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) provides a comprehensive approach to guide TUPE prevention programs using a five-step model for continuous improvement and effective programming:

1. Assessment: Identify local prevention needs based on data ​
2. Capacity: Build local resources and readiness to address prevention needs 
3. Planning: Find out what works to address prevention needs and how to implement strategies effectively, then create a plan of action  
4. Implementation: Deliver evidence-based programs and practices as intended 
5. Evaluation: Examine the process and outcomes of programs and practices ​

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High-quality TUPE programming not only helps prevent and reduce tobacco use but also promotes school connectedness.

Students who feel connected to school have better school attendance, earn higher grades, perform better on standardized tests, and are more likely to graduate. They are more likely to have positive health behaviors such as exercising and healthy eating, and less likely to engage in risky behaviors such as drinking alcohol and using tobacco or other drugs.

Four essential factors crucial to strengthening school connectedn​ess for students include: 

1. Adult support

2. Belonging to a positive peer group​

3. Commitment to education

4. A​​ positive school environment

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Hart's Ladder is a visual illustration of the importance and value of youth participation in prevention programs.

The highest rung on the ladder involves youth initiated projects where youth and adult allies share equal levels of decision making. 

This ladder challenges educators to move away from the lower rungs of non-participation (youth as decoration, tokenizing youth, or assigning/informing youth) to the higher rungs in which young people are genuinely engaged as partners. 

Meaningful youth engagement is vital in creating safe, supportive, and healthy school environments that lead to better peer to peer connections, student to adult relationships, and overall school connectedness. 

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