January 18th, 2012
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Saskatoon, January 18, 2012 – “KNOW Tobacco…Think. Learn. Live.” New resources for youth, teachers and community educators!
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan, in partnership with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health and with guidance from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, developed two Health Education Resource Guides for teachers and health educators, specific to tobacco called “KNOW Tobacco…Think.Learn.Live”.
Jennifer Miller, the Vice-President of Health Education for The Lung Association states, “We are pleased that the government sees value in educating and empowering our youth by contributing to our initiative. We want children to make educated and informed healthy choices. To do that, we need to engage learners through creative and critical thinking strategies. Because of our high youth smoking rates, all partners have recognized the importance of having concrete health education activities specific to tobacco and respiratory health, while still emphasising a holistic approach of a healthy body, mind and spirit.”
Please note that the activities in the two resource guides align with the newly revised Saskatchewan Health Education Curricula for Grades K-3 & 6-8. They are available from our new Got Lungs? website at www.gotlungs.ca/knowtobacco!
Jennifer Miller states, “We have made some progressive legislative and societal strides in tobacco control in Canada throughout the past decade, but we are still seeing rates that are far too high. We hope that this initiative will help to motivate students to make informed decisions to protect their health.” Tobacco continues to be the primary cause of preventable disease and death in Canada (Health Canada, 2010). Saskatchewan has the highest youth (ages 15-19) smoking rates. The 2010 Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey shows an increase in youth smoking rates from 18% to 20% of Saskatchewan youth. “We encourage teachers and educators to use these new approved resources as an opportunity to not only educate youth about the harmful effects of tobacco, but as a way to work together and bring our high Saskatchewan youth tobacco numbers down,” says Miller.
About The Lung Association
Established in 1911, The Lung Association is Saskatchewan’s oldest health charity. You have come to know and trust The Lung Association as the premier source for lung health in our province. All of our quality educational materials, programs, services and treatment guidelines are based on current evidence-based research. You will find The Lung Association active in communities across Saskatchewan conducting lung disease prevention and management programs that include asthma, COPD, sleep apnea, lung cancer and smoking cessation. The Lung Association also provides training for health care professionals, delivers health education in schools, facilitates patient support groups, and lobbies for clean air.
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For more information, please contact:
Jennifer Miller
Vice-President of Health Education
(306) 343-9511