BACKGROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES: Tobacco use among adolescents remains a significant public health concern in the South-East Asia. Traditional teacher-delivered interventions have shown limitations (Shinde et al., 2018, 2020), highlighting the need for alternative approaches.
Recent evidence supports the effectiveness of youth-led advocacy in tobacco control. A research training done in Appalachian Kentucky demonstrated that engaging youth in education, community assessment, policy advocacy, peer outreach, and media campaigns significantly reduced tobacco use and increased support for control policies.
INTERVENTION OR RESPONSE: As part of World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), Singapore's Health Promotion Board (HPB) partnered with St John Ambulance Brigade (SJAB) on a peer education programme. HPB trained 48 cadets from 19 secondary schools to become tobacco-free lifestyle advocates.
RESULTS AND IMPACT: As part of the collaboration, the youth advocates amplify the vape-free messages across 19 schools during the period of WNTD and this form the scalable model for HPB to explore wider efforts in coming years.
Youth advocates also reflected that peer-led education allowed for relatable, in-depth explanations that resonated with students, potentially driving attitudinal and behavioural changes.
Youth advocacy emerges as a crucial component in future-proofing tobacco control efforts. In Singapore, this presents an opportunity to enhance its strategy by:
1. Developing comprehensive youth advocacy programmes in schools and communities.
2. Providing resources and training including in social media amplification for youth to become effective tobacco control advocates.
3. Fostering collaborations between youth groups, health organizations, and government agencies.
CONCLUSIONS: By empowering youth as active agents in tobacco control, Singapore can create a more resilient and cost-effective approach to combat evolving tobacco use patterns and industry tactics, potentially setting a model for other countries to follow.