Parents & Educators

While smoking rates among teens may have dropped to their lowest levels to date, youths ages 12-19 are still exposed to more second-hand smoke than any other age group in Canada. As a parent, there are a number of things you can do to protect your kids from the many dangers of cigarette smoke, including reducing girls’ risk of developing breast cancer.

1. Be a good role model.The best way to do this is to live a smoke-free life. Even if you smoke, chances are you don’t want your children to smoke as well. Research shows that when kids grow up in a smoking household, they are more likely to take up the habit themselves.
   • If you smoke, think about quitting.
   • Avoid smoking around your kids.
2. Looking to quit? Check out our Quit Information for Parents PDF.
3. Talk to your kids about the health effects of smoking.
   • Ask your kids if any of their friends smoke.
   • Talk to your kids about ways to refuse a cigarette and avoid second-hand smoke.
   • Teach them about the link between smoking and breast cancer.
4. Keep your home and vehicles smoke-free.
   • If guests want to smoke, make sure they do it outside and away from doors and windows.
   • Check out this helpful guide from Health Canada for tips on how to make your home and vehicle smoke-free: Make your home and care smoke-free: A guide to protecting your family from second-hand smoke.
5. Avoid places where your kids may be exposed to second-hand smoke. While many public places have banned smoking (restaurants, hospitals, airports, shops, etc.), there are still many spaces where second-hand smoke exposure can occur.
   • Move away from people smoking near bus stops, sidewalks, and parks.
   • Avoid restaurants where smoking is permitted on the patio.
   • Request a smoke-free hotel room while on holiday.

   Want more help? Check out the resources available on this website!

The START Research Project is committed to educating youth about the risk of breast cancer with tobacco use and exposure and to providing them with strategies to reduce this risk.

The Educational Tool Kit “Smoking Affects More Than Girls’ Lungs” provides the information necessary to educate youth about this risk. It is split into two 1 hour sessions that can be presented separately or sequentially. Please note that additional references and background information for slide content and student activities are provided in the Educators’ Guide.

This Teaching Session Kit Includes:

• “Smoking Doesn’t Just Affect Girls’ Lungs” Educational Tool Kit Presentation
  • Educators’ Guide
  • Session 1: What you need to know about breast cancer now! [PowerPoint PDF – to display PowerPoint PDFs in slideshow mode, open up the PDF file and press CTRL+L or select View > Full Screen Mode from the top menu.]
  • Session 2: What’s the big deal about second-hand smoke? [PowerPoint PDF]
• START Videos for Youth
  • Smoking and Breast Cancer – What’s the Link?
  • Girls’ START Video
  • Guys’ START Video
  • Young Women Get Breast Cancer Too – What You Need to Know [optional]
• START Infographics
  • Too Young to Think about Breast Cancer – Think Again
  • Second-hand Smoke & Breast Cancer Risk – Fast Facts
  • Surprising Facts about Girls and Smoking
• Student Activities
  • Activity 1: Breast Cancer and Smoking: Separating Fact from Fiction
    • Student Version
    • Answer Key
  • Activity 2: Design Your Own Message
  • Activity 3: Make Your Own Action Plan
• Student Handouts
  • Key Vocabulary Terms
  • Strategies for Avoiding Second-hand Smoke
  • START Take-home sheet
• Additional materials required for this presentation include:
  • A whiteboard or large sheet of paper
  • Markers
  • Photocopied Supplemental Materials

On behalf of the entire START team, thank you for sharing this valuable information with youth.