An evidence-based guideline for school-based interventions to prevent smoking

Smoking is one of the most important current problems in the world. It has important adverse effects on children and young people. The majority of people start smoking before the age of 18. School-based interventions can play an essential role in the prevention of smoking. The aim of this study was to provide a national evidence based guideline for school- based interventions for prevention of smoking.
Material and We conducted a comprehensive search to find related clinical practice guidelines in recent five years using related databases and websites. Related guidelines were selected and appraised by two independent experts using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation-2 AGREE-2 tool. The selected guidelines were translated into Persian, evaluated and confirmed by the panel of experts.
Among 11 guidelines, one with five main recommendations for school based interventions was selected. Each recommendation contained three sections that helped to provide an action plan to prevent smoking, including: "Target population", "People who should take action" and "Actions they should take".
School based interventions had been effective for prevention and control of smoking in adolescence. This guideline is evidence based and a well adopted tool. Therefore, it can be a useful guideline for school-based intervention planning.