Are Your Kids Smoking? Study Says County Numbers Down in Lighting Up

Local children are lighting up less than their statewide peers, and the Will County Health Department thinks some of its educational programs deserve some credit.

According to a 2010 survey of Illinois youth, smoking is much less prevalent here than it is across the state, particularly among grade school students. The gap is a lot closer for high school students.

Specific statistics were unavailable for young smokers in . Here's the data for Will County and state totals:

Executive Director John Cicero of the Will County Health Department believes his agency’s Tar Wars smoking prevention initiative has helped area students make informed decisions about tobacco and the inherent health risks. Will County is one of only five Illinois jurisdictions to offer Tar Wars, which is available to area schools free of charge.

The program targets fourth- and fifth-grade students.

It touches on the consequences of tobacco use, the cost of smoking and advertising techniques used.

"We’ve been able to reach lots of impressionable kids with the help of educators and school administrators," Cicero said. "We want them to have the tools they need to make positive decisions regarding their health."

For more information about Tar Wars, or to schedule a Tar Wars presentation, call the health department at 815-774-7312.

What do you do to educate your children about smoking? Do you think the schools and other groups do enough education?