Impact of School-Based Tobacco Prevention Funding on Youth Smoking and Vaping in California

Expanded TUPE funding in California was linked to lower student-reported vaping and smoking—adjusted tobacco-use prevalence 6.5% in funded schools versus 8.0% in non-funded schools. This association represents a measurable, program-level public-health effect with implications for clinical surveillance and school‑health planning.

The 2019–2020 California Student Tobacco Survey included 160,106 students in grades 8, 10, and 12 across 358 schools. Against prior secular trends of rising youth vaping, the evaluation compared TUPE-funded with non-TUPE schools using student-reported vaping and smoking as primary endpoints. Investigators used generalized mixed-model logistic regression to estimate adjusted associations across the evaluation window. These program-level comparisons tie targeted resources to observable student outcomes.

Which program elements most plausibly explain the difference? Funded schools more often delivered expanded antitobacco curricula, vaping-specific messaging, peer-led activities, cessation supports, and broader family outreach. Higher student engagement in tobacco prevention activities correlated with lower vaping prevalence, supporting a behavior-change pathway rather than a sampling artifact. Education combined with structured engagement therefore appears the most actionable approach to reduce vaping.

Analyses adjusted for region, ethnicity, grade, parental education, and other covariates to isolate the funding–outcome association. TUPE schools had greater representation from Northern California and Asian students—groups with different baseline risk—but adjusted estimates retained the association and no consistent subgroup reversal was observed.

Taken together, expanded TUPE support corresponded with reduced youth vaping and smoking; the pattern of program components and adjusted analyses favors a program-level interpretation.

Key Takeaways:

• Targeted school funding for tobacco prevention was linked to lower youth vaping and smoking after adjustment for demographic factors.
• Most actionable elements included expanded curricula, vaping-specific messaging, and increased student engagement in prevention activities.
• Adjusted analyses and broad sample size support a programmatic interpretation; operational monitoring can help scale effective components.