OCR Text |
Show Say 'No' to Smoking Offer Utah has a law which says the public schools must teach about smoking in three ways-explain ways-explain the harmful effects of cigarettes, lead youngsters away from smoking, and expose fraudulent and deceptive ads. Really, though parents probably have the very best preventive tool--if they'll only use it. This tool is their own attitude toward cigarettes. Studies have shown that if parents paren-ts smoke, their children are more likely to pick up the habit then children of non-smokers. If a child sees Mom and Dad smoking, this tells them it's an okay thing to do Even if such a parent urges the young person not to take up the habit, that warning has a hollow ring if the parent is puffing away a few minutes later. So that's it, parents. paren-ts. You may be able to contribute more to the anti-smoking campaign than scientists, teachers or the U.S. Government. byDarylJ. McCarty One method schools have used to prevent students from picking up the habit of smoking is to shock the bejab-bers bejab-bers out of them with evidence of the damage cigarettes can cause to the heart and lungs. Scientists are looking at other approaches. ap-proaches. Richard Evans at the University of Houston is developing a program that teaches kids how to say "no when offered cigarettes by classmates. Early tests show the technique to be effective, ef-fective, he says. The federal government gover-nment is also taking a hand in the anti-smoking anti-smoking effort. Joseph A. Califano Jr., the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, sent a letter to all seventh grade teachers in the nation. He asked their help in steering kids away from the nicotine habit. Some educators use short films to explain tricks used in cigarette advertisements adver-tisements devised to make smoking more appealing. |