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Smokeout
a chance to teach
November 17, 2004 - Argus Leader
While
the focus of Thursday's Great American Smokeout is to get smokers
to quit, schools across the country also have found it a good day
to discuss the harmful effects of smoking.
"What we have seen, during the 28 years, is that it is a chance
for schools to talk to children about prevention," said Jennifer
Stalley, project director for the South Dakota Tobacco-Free Kids
Network.
Schools also talk about the effects of smoking in programs going
on throughout the year.
Drug Abuse Resistance Education is one of the
country's largest anti-substance abuse programs, with 25 million
American students involved.
Recently, DARE revamped its curriculum and changed the course from
17 weeks to 9 weeks. The former emphasis was resistance to drugs,
gangs and violence.
Now, the program focuses on teaching kids how to make good choices
and informing them of the health and criminal consequences of not
making good choices.
"Kids know a lot more than you really think they do. It's about
helping them make good, well-informed decisions." said DARE officer
Greg DeBoer. "Week two and three of DARE places an emphasis on tobacco
advertisements and the effects of tobacco use."
In Sioux Falls public schools, DARE is taught in the fifth grade.
Program officers stress the importance that parents need to be involved,
as well as students and teachers.
"Day one, when the DARE program begins, the student takes home a
contract which the student signs, the teacher signs, the parents
sign and DARE officer signs. It is a cooperative effort," said program
officer Marty Neal.
In the older grades, students teach each other about the harmful
effects of tobacco.
The O'Gorman High School Teens Against Tobacco Use has 65 members.
"In 1998 in a survey, 22 percent of O'Gorman High School students
stated they had smoked. In 2003, 6 percent stated they had smoked,"
O'Gorman counselor Donna Carlson said. "TATU began seven years ago.
I would attribute this decline to the work they have done."
The members of the group talk to K-12 students and hold special
events to promote their anti-tobacco message.
O'Gorman TATU member Amanda Simons, a junior, said the best prevention
is to get students involved. "It helps a lot when you're a part
of something that prevents and preaches against it," she said.
Stalley of the American Cancer Society said smoking tobacco among
teenagers in South Dakota has been on the decline, but chewing tobacco
has been on the rise, with 23 percent of high school males smoking
tobacco.
"The trend that is a little troubling is that South Dakota is still
among the highest for pregnant teens smoking, at 19.3 percent."
she said.
"I think the public school district does a great job educating our
children about the dangers of smoking from the time they were little,"
said Vicky Meirer, mother of two.
Meirer said communication is the most important factor in keeping
children away from tobacco use.
"Talking to your children is very important," she said. "In the
end, they will make the choice of whether to smoke or not."
DeBoer said tobacco education is a community effort.
"We all have to work together for this to be successful. It can't
just be a few DARE officers," he said.
"It takes a village to raise a child."
§ 20 minutes after quitting: Your blood pressure drops
to a level close to that before the last cigarette. The temperature
of your hands and feet increases to normal.
§ 8 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level
in your body drops to normal.
§ 24 hours after quitting: Your chance of heart attack
decreases.
§ 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation
improves and your lung function increases up to 30 percent.
§ 1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing, sinus congestion,
fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair like
structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain function in
the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs,
and reduce infection.
§ 1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary
heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
§ 5-15 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced
to that of a nonsmoker.
§ 10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate
is about half that of a continuing smoker's. The risk of cancer
of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decrease.
§ 15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart
disease is that of a nonsmoker's.
Source: American Cancer Society "Feel the Benefits of Being a Quitter"
The Great American Smokeout
THE EFFECTS OF QUITTING
Parents strong example to fight smoking
No parents want to see their child addicted to hard drugs. Yet many
don't realize that tobacco is comparative to heroin when it comes
to addiction.
Many kids start using tobacco by age 11, and many are addicted by
age 14. Parents and schools working together can help stem the experimentation
and use of tobacco among students.
At Edison Middle School, I strive to educate students on the dangers
of drugs, alcohol and tobacco through health classes, improv performances,
TORCH (Teens on the Road to Chemical Health) and TATU (Teens Against
Tobacco Use) activities.
This year for the Great American Smokeout, the Edison TORCH group
decorated its bulletin board to help educate their peers on the
dangers of tobacco use.
The TATU group is going into classrooms to encourage students to
sign a pledge to lead a smoke-free life, which will be displayed
in the school as a reminder and example for other students.
I count on parents to reinforce these goals. When parents take a
stand against tobacco and lead by example, their children pay attention.
Parents need to find time to talk with their children about the
dangers and risks of tobacco by bringing it up in the car, over
dinner or at bedtime.
Let them know if tobacco has affected your family in a negative
way - and how. Teach them how to refuse, if they are ever offered
tobacco.
It is never too early to talk to your children about the risks of
tobacco. If parents smoke, they are encouraged to try to quit. Meanwhile,
don't use tobacco in your children's presence, don't offer it to
them and don't leave it where they can easily get it.
For more information on tobacco, please check out the Substance
Abuse Prevention section of our Web site, www.prairieview.net
.
Stephanie Deuter is a drug and alcohol prevention counselor and
the Students and Family Education counselor at Edison
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