Gilroy
– Two leading causes of preventable death in the country –
tobacco use and obesity – are the targets of two grants the school
district will apply for to fund prevention education for
students.
Gilroy – Two leading causes of preventable death in the country – tobacco use and obesity – are the targets of two grants the school district will apply for to fund prevention education for students.
A $90,000 tobacco grant, called Tobacco-Use Prevention Education, would provide tobacco-specific student instruction, reinforcement and special events for students at South Valley Middle School.
The grant could be used in conjunction with other drug-prevention programs in the district.
A $10,000 obesity grant would provide nutrition education and physical activity programs to students at El Roble Elementary School.
Planned activities include a fall day camp with hands-on learning, a spring nutritional fair to teach nutrition and active play and weekly physical fitness sessions.
The number of teenagers who smoke jumped nearly 50 percent between 1991 and 1996, according to Monitoring the Future, a national organization that conducts research on behaviors and attitudes of teenagers and young adults.
