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

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. Thirty-two 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.