School-Based Tobacco Treatment Integration (SBTTI) Project | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

School-Based Tobacco Treatment Integration (SBTTI) Strategy Overview

After years of declining smoking rates among Colorado middle and high school students, the rise of e-cigarettes delivering nicotine has driven youth tobacco product use to its highest level in a generation. According to the 2023 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS), 9.2% of high school students reported using a tobacco or nicotine product in the past 30 days.

Among those students, 56% reported trying to quit all products within the past 12 months. These findings highlight the ongoing need for tobacco and nicotine treatment and support for young people in Colorado.

Improving access to confidential screening, early intervention, and tailored treatment services for youth who vape or use any form of nicotine or tobacco product are top priorities for the State Tobacco Education, Prevention and Cessation Grant Program (STEPP) grants program. STEPP is committed to reducing the tobacco treatment disparities that still exist for some priority populations. STEPP’s 2030 Strategic Plan outlines the reduction in prevalence of tobacco product use and expansion of treatment services for youth as one of our paramount strategies. SBHCs are in a unique position to advance STEPP goals to identify at-risk adolescents and provide comprehensive tobacco treatment support.

The goal of the SBTTI strategy is to institutionalize tobacco treatment as a standard of care within SBHC settings. The project will identify and advance clinical workflow integration to ensure that all SBHC clients receive standardized screening for tobacco and vape use, and secondhand smoke exposure, as well as brief intervention and provision of, or referral to, evidence-based cessation services, such as My Life My Quit.

Refer to the Fiscal Year 2025-26 SBHC Grantee List, SBTTI section, for information on the current grantees.