Another program, "Tar Wars", is a tobacco-free education program for fourth- and
fifth-grade students. The program is designed to teach children about
the short-term health effects and image-based consequences of tobacco
use, and about being tobacco free by providing them tools to make
positive decisions regarding their health and promote personal
responsibility for their well being.
Tar Wars was developed by Jeff Cain, MD, and Glenna Pember of the
Hall of Life, a division of the Denver Museum of Natural History, and
Doctors Out to Care (DOC) in 1988. Since the development of Tar Wars in
1988, the program has reached more than 10 million children worldwide.
The program is owned and operated by the American Academy of Family
Physicians (AAFP). The Tar Wars program is implemented in classrooms by
volunteers. By utilizing a community-based approach to mobilize family
physicians, educators, and other health care professionals, Tar Wars can
accomplish its goals.