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Keeping Kids Cancer-Free
Source: American Cancer Society, August 2002

Parents would do anything to protect their children from a serious disease like cancer. But most don’t realize daily health habits that start in childhood and adolescence - like diet, exercise, and tobacco use - can affect a child’s future risk of getting cancer. These choices are among the most important factors in a person’s risk of cancer, and they’re within our own control. The earlier healthy habits are established and maintained, the greater the chance of reducing cancer risk.

That’s why teaching kids about healthy lifestyle habits is essential, and both parents and schools can have a tremendous impact. Parents can guide kids’ diet choices and activities, and schools can help reinforce healthy behavior by providing consistent health education and healthy environments.

What Parents Can Do
With children, actions often speak louder than words. Incorporating healthful habits into your personal and family routines is the best way to establish lifelong healthy behavior.

• Serve balanced meals, placing an emphasis on vegetables, fruits, and grains.
• Combine exercise and family time with activities such as biking and walking around the neighborhood.
• Avoid smoking - children whose parents smoke are at greatest risk of becoming smokers. If you smoke, get help to quit and talk to your kids about the dangers of tobacco use.

Parents can also have a positive effect on schools. Find out if your school district has a school health council. If it does, get involved as a parent representative; if it doesn’t, ask school administrators how you can recruit school and community representatives and form one. With this group, you can help address what school health should include and how to integrate it into your school system.

What Schools Can Do
Recent research shows the effectiveness of school health education in reducing cancer risk factors. Yet few schools have taken all the steps necessary to make this difference. To achieve the biggest impact on students’ health, schools can:

• Ensure well-trained, qualified staff teach health and wellness classes every year of a child’s education, from kindergarten through 12th grade
• Enhance school policies to reflect healthy choices, such as healthful food options in the cafeteria and vending machines and a no-smoking code for staff
• Develop health-focused school programs that provide kids with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to resist behaviors that place their health at risk

A coordinated school health program including the active involvement of parents and community members can ensure healthy children today and healthy adults in the future. The more kids learn about good health habits now, the greater the chance those habits will become permanent as they grow.