Minnehan presents Tar Wars program
Dr. Haley Minnehan, St. Mary’s Hospital and Clinics, presented the TAR WARS anti-tobacco program to fifth graders at Prairie Middle School last week. Debbie Christopherson, RN, and Jeanette Gorman, Community Relations Coordinator, assisted in the presentations to Becky Higgins and Jessica Vanderwall’s classes.
The TAR WARS curriculum was developed by the American Association of Family Physicians to discourage students from tobacco use. The curriculum includes information about the short and long term effects of tobacco use, the expense of using tobacco and how advertisements are aimed at young adults. Tobacco companies spend $30.7 million dollars per day in advertising.
The students also viewed a video and saw a doll from the American Cancer Society, Smokey Sue, smoke a cigarette and fill her ‘lungs’ with tar. They looked at magazine tobacco ads and analyzed the persuasive methods used by the tobacco companies.
Each day in the United States an estimated 6,000 kids under the age of 19 begin smoking. Forty one percent of high school seniors are regular smokers. The students also received handouts for their parents about how families can help their children resist peer pressure.
The students will be designing posters to discourage other students from tobacco use. Winners from each class will be forwarded to the Idaho Association of Family Physicians for the statewide contest.
Dr. Andrew Jones will be presenting the program in March to fifth graders at Nezperce Elementary and Brenda Hewlett, Kamiah Medical Clinic, presented the program at Kamiah Middle School.