FRESHAIR4Life Teach the Teacher programme: building capacity and supporting interventions to address tobacco use and air pollution exposure among adolescents

18 Dec 2024

As part of Work Package 7 (capacity building), IPCRG has led the development of the new FRESHAIR4Life Teach the Teacher programme, led by Amanda Barnard. The Faculty comprises experts who bring diverse skills and experiences to support this initiative:

  • Amanda Barnard: IPCRG President and a leader in medical education, Amanda has extensive experience in rural healthcare education and adolescent tobacco use reduction.
  • Kym Rizzo Liu: a health and physical education expert from Australia, Kym specializes in peer education models for chronic disease prevention among adolescents.
  • Darush Attar-Zadeh: a prescribing pharmacist with expertise in asthma care, VBA and tobacco dependence.
  • Lindsay Welch: a respiratory nurse specialist and academic, Lindsay focuses on behaviour change strategies and innovative nursing education.
  • Hilary Wareing: Director of iPiP, Hilary’s work centers on public health workforce development and implementing evidence-based practices, particularly in tobacco control.

The programme officially launched in November and featured interactive online sessions covering the following topics:

  1. Working with Adolescents
  2. Behaviour Change with a Focus on Adolescents
  3. Teaching Skills (Learning Needs, Objectives, and Methods)
  4. Very Brief Advice (VBA) and Brief Advice
  5. The If-Then Approach and Peer Learning
  6. Working in Various Settings (Schools, Primary Care Clinics, etc.)
  7. Principles of Co-Designing Interventions

The training was designed to equip national teams from Uganda, Kyrgyzstan, Greece, Romania, and Pakistan to implement tailored interventions. These will focus on VBA (Very Brief Advice) and implementation intentions to prevent smoking initiation and support cessation among adolescents. Social media campaigns will complement these efforts by addressing the dangers of indoor and outdoor air pollution.

Faculty presentations were enriched with panel discussions and practical resources, including guiding documents and examples from past health promotion projects. The sessions were highly interactive, drawing more than 20 learners across the five countries. As these teams finalize their intervention plans, the faculty will continue to mentor and support their implementation efforts.

To learn more about FRESHAIR4Life, visit our webpage or follow us on X.

FRESHAIR4LIFE