Eleven-year-old Alex ... may be diagnosed with lung cancer by the age of 57. Currently in the United States, more than 4.5 million children younger than 18 are regular smokers. Nearly 90 percent begin smoking by the age of 18. More than 4,000 children each day will try a cigarette for the first time, and more than 2,000 other kids aged 18 and under become daily smokers. Annually, these statistics add up to more than 730,000 new, underaged smokers; approximately one-third will die prematurely from smoking-related illnesses. An additional 15.5 million children are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes.

Tar Wars® was founded in response to this growing, yet preventable, health crisis. Targeting fourth- and fifth-grade students, the award-winning, youth tobacco-free education program and poster contest of the American Academy of Family Physicians adopts an effective and innovative approach to teaching tobacco prevention.

The Tar Wars lesson is presented annually to approximately 500,000 fourth- and fifth-grade students by health care professionals and educators. Tar Wars also provides health care professionals, school personnel, and community members the opportunity to form coalitions that share the common goal of discouraging tobacco use among children.

You can help Tar Wars in the fight against tobacco use by allowing our LSUHSC Med Students to present to your fifth grade classes.

Mission and Goals
The mission of Tar Wars is to educate students about being tobacco-free, provide them with the tools to make positive decisions regarding their health, and promote personal responsibility for their well-being. By utilizing a community-based approach to mobilize family physicians, educators, and other health care professionals, Tar Wars can accomplish its mission. Goals of the program are to:

* Educate and motivate students to be tobacco-free.
* Mobilize health care professionals to become proactive in their
community’s health education.
* Encourage community involvement in support of the Tar Wars
program.


Program History
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) endorsed Tar Wars as a national program in 1993. This collaborative effort was instrumental in promoting Tar Wars to AAFP members locally, nationally, and internationally. With representation from throughout the United States, a national board was formed the same year to help expand the program’s effectiveness, goals, and vision. In 1995, formal, non-profit, 501(c)(3) status was granted.

In June 1997, the AAFP signed a license agreement with national Tar Wars to operate the program for the next four years. Tar Wars continued to grow and succeed: An estimated 335,000 children were reached during the 1998-1999 academic year, and more than 400,000 children were reached during the 1999-2000 academic year. Although the program’s growth has been aggressive, Tar Wars continues to focus on quality, educational value, and an interactive approach to making healthy lifestyle choices.

Since the development of Tar Wars in 1988, the program has been implemented in all 50 states as well as internationally and has reached more than 7 million children worldwide, with volunteer presenters delivering the Tar Wars message to students.

In June 2000, the AAFP acquired full ownership and operation of the Tar Wars program. Tar Wars staff at the national office, located at AAFP headquarters in Leawood, Kan., provide support to approximately 90 state/regional coordinators who implement Tar Wars in their areas.

Further Information
Tar Wars is uniquely positioned among tobacco-free education programs geared to youth and has been successful in achieving its desired outcome of increasing students' understanding of the short-term, image-based consequences of tobacco use and the deceptive tactics found in tobacco advertising. Research on the effectiveness of the AAFP-supported program has been conducted and evaluation results have been published.

Tar Wars is consistent with the guidelines for youth tobacco prevention programs as outlined in the CDC's 2000 publication, "Guidelines for School Health Programs to Prevent Tobacco Use," and currently addresses five of the seven implementation guidelines: (2) Instruction, (3) Curriculum, (4) Training, (5) Family Involvement, and (7) Evaluation. Through coalitions and community-wide efforts, some state Tar Wars programs meet all seven.

Copyright © 2007 American Academy of Family Physicians
Learn more at the website: www.tarwars.org