Mission Statement

STAT promotes tobacco prevention and cessation within a community by targeting middle school students in an interactive, educational program.

Tobacco companies make a product that kills 1,200 Americans a day, which is 438,000 a year. Over 80 percent of all adult smokers started smoking before they turned 18.

Tobacco is the largest cause of preventable disease and death. According to the American Lung Association (2000), an estimated 430,700 Americans die each year from tobacco-related diseases.

Tobacco use is associated with heart disease, lung disease, stroke, cancer, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome. Tobacco-related illness costs the nation more than $100 billion each year. According to the National Youth Tobacco Survey (1999) by the CDC:

12.8% (1 in 8) of middle school students reported using some form of tobacco in the past month compared to 34.8% of high school students.