Why Tobacco Use Prevention Education?

Michigan data indicate that 34.1 percent of high school students in the state smoke. Of students in grades 9-12, 72 percent have reported trying cigarettes. These increases have taken place in virtually every socioeconomic group, among both boys and girls, and in both urban and rural communities. Research has also shown that kids will first be encouraged to try cigarettes in elementary school. Many young people begin smoking between the sixth and ninth grades. Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in Michigan. It kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined. What is "Life's A Kick! Don't Start Tobacco"? The Michigan State University Extension 4-H Youth Development program, "Life's A Kick! Don't Start Tobacco" is a youth tobacco use prevention program for out-of-school-time, designed to educate children in grades 4 to 8 about the effects of tobacco use on the human system. The goal of the program is to prevent ...  more