National Poster Tar Wars

Above about Tar Wars National Poster.

Tar Wars isn't just about teaching kids not to smoke. It's about teaching them to stay away from all forms of tobacco. And, at this time of year, it's about taking that critical message to federal lawmakers.

Tar Wars national poster contest winner Alexa Barrett, an 11-year-old from American Falls, Idaho, presents Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, with a copy of her poster. Barrett and 28 other state-level winners in the Tar Wars national poster contest visited legislators July 14 in Washington, D.C.

Alexa Barrett, an 11-year-old from American Falls, Idaho, was named the AAFP initiative's national poster contest winner on July 13 during the Tar Wars National Conference in Washington, D.C. Barrett's poster featured a drawing of a cow accompanied by the slogan, "Cows are smart, they don't chew, they moo."

"That's pretty unique," said Pam Rodriguez, AAFP's tobacco control manager. "I don't think we've had a poster focused on chewing tobacco. The posters' messages are usually about smoking, but Tar Wars is about preventing all kinds of tobacco use."

Family physicians and other health care workers across the country present Tar Wars tobacco-free education programs to fourth- and fifth-graders in their local schools each year, discussing the toll tobacco takes on health, as well as the financial costs of tobacco use. More than 8 million children have heard the tobacco-free message since the program's inception in 1988.

The program, which is supported by the AAFP Foundation and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, culminates each year with a national poster contest made up of submissions from state-level poster contest winners. As the 2009 national contest winner, Barrett will receive a family trip to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., worth as much as $3,000.

"The program has really taught me a lot, like what really is in cigarettes and smoke and what it can do to you," Barrett told AAFP News Now.

Rodriguez said 29 of 38 state poster contest winners and members of their families made the trip to Washington, D.C. After an awards ceremony on July 13, the children visited about 50 members of the House and Senate the following day, presenting their legislators with copies of their posters.