Media Center Main Page

4th- and 5th-Graders Analyze Tobacco Advertising

Students Turn What They Learn Into Positive Messages

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 23, 2002

Contact:
Adam Lee
American Academy of Family Physicians
(800) 274-2237 Ext. 5221
alee@aafp.org

WASHINGTON -- Tiffany Sever, a fifth-grader from Westland, Mich., is the 2002 national Tar Wars poster contest winner. Tar Wars is an education program and poster contest that discourages tobacco use among the country’s youth. Sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians, Tar Wars focuses on attitudes about tobacco use, the effects of tobacco on the body, and how different messages in tobacco advertising influence people.

Sever’s poster was chosen from 46 entries, all winners of their state, territory or country contests. Posters are judged on their artistry, creativity, originality and their ability to communicate a clear and positive message to remain tobacco-free.

Next on Sever’s agenda is a trip to Disney World: The grand prize in the national contest is a family trip to Disney World worth up to $3,000.

In addition to Sever, four runners-up, six honorable mentions, and state winners were recognized at the awards ceremony. The original artwork was on display July 23 in the Rayburn House Office Building of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Runners-up:

Second place: Allison Sakakida, Aiea, Hawaii
Third place: Eileen R. Salzman, Littleton, Colo.
Fourth place: Sophie Hendry, Medway, Mass. & Melissa Kroeger, Sparta, N.C.

Honorable Mentions:

Brian Givens, Washington
Rachel Lane, Boise, Idaho
Janelle Diercks, Seiling, Okla.
Heidi Collins, Brigham City, Utah
Trevor Lewis, W. Charleston, Vt.
Matthew Shane Acord, Fairdale, W.Va.

Tar Wars was developed in 1988 by the Hall of Life at the Denver Museum of Natural History and Doctors Ought to Care. The AAFP has overseen the program since 1996. The program has been implemented in all 50 states and some territories and internationally, and it has reached more than 2.5 million children.

A digital image of the first place poster can be downloaded from http://www.tarwars.org/x1326.xml (JPEG format, RGB color, 300 x 216 pixels, 72 pixels per inch, file size: 44 KB). The posters of the runners-up and honorable mentions can be viewed at http://www.tarwars.org. The poster artwork is also displayed in schools, and is reproduced on T-shirts, note cards, post cards and wall calendars, available at http://www.tarwars.org.

# # #

Founded in 1947, the AAFP represents more than 94,700 physicians and medical students nationwide. It is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.

Nearly one in four of all office visits are made to family physicians. That is 208 million office visits each year - nearly 83 million more than the next largest medical specialty. Today, family physicians provide more care for America’s underserved and rural populations than any other medical specialty.

In the increasingly fragmented world of health care where many medical specialties limit their practice to a particular organ, disease, age or sex, family physicians are dedicated to treating the whole person across the full spectrum of ages. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on integrated care.

To learn more about the American Academy of Family Physicians and about the specialty of family medicine, please visit aafp.org.

For more information about the AAFP's positions on issues and clinical care and downloadable multi-media on family medicine and health care, visit the AAFP Media Center.

For more information about health care, health conditions, and wellness, please visit familydoctor.org.