Tobacco Prevention in Schools in Utah

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Tobacco Prevention in Schools in Utah
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Visions

• Moved to southern Utah to my dream job in Public
  Health
• Wanted to make a difference

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Southwest Utah
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Visions

• Public Health in southern Utah
• Heart Disease and Stroke
• Cancer

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Vision

• Cholesterol checks, blood pressure clinics
• Cholesterol checks of 8 year old children
• Smoking cessation advice and counseling
• Anti-tobacco messages in the schools

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Tobacco and Gold Medal Schools

• In 1998, a review of death rates in Southern Utah
  showed no change in spite of all the work done
  with adults in the community
• a pilot project was designed to start working in
  the schools to influence elementary students to
  choose healthy lifestyles
• We called it Paint a Healthy Body.

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Paint a Healthy body

• Each spot on the palette was a logo that depicted
  a part of the program

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Paint a Healthy Body

• The schools in the community were surveyed and 5
  areas of need and 4 content areas were determined

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Paint a Healthy Body

• Areas of Need
• Policies
• Leadership
• Training
• Curriculum Integration
• Involvement of family and community

• Content Areas
• Tobacco
• Staff Wellness
• Physical Activity
• Nutrition

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Paint a Healthy Body

• In 2000, we wanted to expand our message and so
  we enlisted the cooperation of the Tobacco
  Control Program at the state level.
• We published a quarterly newsletter for all the
  committees and schools involved. Tobacco funds
  helped pay for the time and printing costs.
• We stressed anti-tobacco messages in the
  newsletter and quit smoking advice.

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Paint a Healthy Body

• Collaboration
• An unnatural act performed by un-consenting
  adults

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New Plan

• In 2001, our pilot project was taken over by the
  state health department and, in honor of the
  Olympics in Salt Lake City, it was named Gold
  Medal Schools

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Gold Medal Schools

• Vision A tradition of health in Utah Schools
• Mission Create opportunities for students to
• Eat healthy
• Be active
• Stay tobacco free

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Gold Medal Schools

• Schools participate
• Healthy learners
• No changes to curriculum
• Policy and Environmental changes
• No high demands on teachers
• Money for needed items
• Tobacco Free environment, Safe Routes to School,
  walking, healthier faculty and staff and
  healthier parents

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How Does it Work?

• Four levels Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum
  and Platinum Focus Areas
• Your school will be assigned a mentor to help.

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Gold Medal Schools

• Bronze - 200
• Silver- 300
• Gold - 500
• Platinum - 300
• Platinum Focus Mental Health - 200
• P.E. equipment, nutrition resources or tobacco
  prevention materials

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Gold Medal Schools

• Why policy is the cornerstone
• Policy a course or principal of action, prudent
  conduct
• Having policies to support the actions of
  tobacco education, physical activity and
  nutrition, makes the medicine go down.
• Environmental Changes left behind

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Gold Medal Schools

• Sample policy
• Bronze Level Criteria 5
• Tobacco Program gave us a checklist to use to
  write the policy
• State Health Departments provides trainings to
  help mentors write effective policies
• Supported by state and local laws about tobacco
  use

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Gold Medal Events
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Fun with Gold Medal Events
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www.hearthighway.org/gms Sarah Rigby srigby_at_utah.g
ov 801-538-9454