Road of Life: Cancer Prevention for Kids
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Road of Life is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization with a mission to eradicate preventable cancers and diseases of excess by educating children on the fitness, nutrition, and tobacco use decisions they can make to lead healthier lives.[1]
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[edit] Support
Road of Life is supported by the Keren Emrich Foundation. The Keren Emrich Foundation was founded in 2002 in memory of Keren Rebecca Emrich. Its main purpose is to support Road of Life, a cancer prevention education organization targeted for children and adolescent youth.[2] Road of Life was founded by Keren's brother, Rob Emrich.
[edit] Community Support
Various organizations have helped Road of Life in many ways. Some of those include:
- A Lion in the House- A documentary about childhood cancer; accompanying website contains helpful resources.
http://mylion.org/kit/personal_power_grid.shtml [3]
- Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, University Hospitals
http://www.uhhospitals.org/tabid/3174/Default.aspx [4]
- The Ohio State University College of Public Health Annual Report
http://medicine.osu.edu/sitetool/sites/pdfs/sphpublic/07_AnnualReport_Web.pdf [5]
[edit] Programs
The Classroom Curriculum and After School Program provided by Road of Life are certified with the National Health Education Standards; the Classroom Curriculum also meets the Ohio Benchmark and Indicator Core Academic Content Standards. Road of Life also provides a Summer Camp and a Family Program. All Road of Life programs feature modular designs, allowing single lessons to be taught or the entire course, and focus on four aspects of health: General Health, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Tobacco Use Prevention. Academic subject cores covering Mathematics, English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science enrich these lessons.[6] Currently there are thirty one lessons: 9 in General Health, 12 in Nutrition, 4 on Physical Fitness, and 5 on Tobacco Use Prevention. At the end of the curriculum, there is a Conclusion to Health Lessons, which wraps up all the knowledge from the previous lessons. [7]
"The curriculum has already been through 3 internal iterations, developed by ROL's AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members, most of whom have Master's Degrees in Education or Public Health. The curriculum has recently been approved for use in the Columbus Public Schools by the Curriculum Quality Control Council (CQCC), and ROL is opening up a Cleveland office." [8]
[edit] Open Educational Resources
Road of Life is a developer of Open Educational Resources and a partner of the Curriki OER community. [9] Its work is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license (Creative Commons licenses).
[edit] Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital
The Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Initiative at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio supports the Road of Life programming. The AYA not only raises awareness, but helps advance the development of new and needed approaches in the treatment and prevention of childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancers. Rainbow’s AYA Cancer Initiative believes in education in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. [10]
[edit] MetroHealth System
The MetroHealth Systems, a hospital in Cleveland, Ohio has partnered with ROL to create and deliver joint health education programming targeting at-risk youth in Northeast Ohio. MetroHealth and ROL collaborated to create new programs targeting elementary school age children. MetroHealth also hosts the Cleveland office for Road of Life, providing office space for an ROL employee.
[edit] The Ohio State University
Road of Life also works with the Ohio State University. Presently, The College of Public Health at The Ohio State University has published their annual report. In the current issue, Road of Life is referenced in an article with the help of the integrated Master of Public Health program students. The Master of Public Health program is accredited through The Ohio State University, and places students in a work environment that is required for their degree. The Office of Practice Education and Career Services work with the students to find an organization to develop an appropriate "practicum" project. The practicum program counts for four credit hours for the student.[11]
Road of Life works hand in hand with the university to allow for students to work and gain experience with the organization as well.[12]
[edit] Importance of Physical and Nutritional Education
Proper nutrition and adequate physical activity produce healthy children. According to the USDA, these two components are “essential for students to achieve their full academic potential, fulfill mental and physical growth, and lifelong health and well-being” [13]. While it can be difficult to separate the effects of nutrition and exercise, the two have undeniable effects on an individual’s health when combined. Macera et al.[14] report that as many as 580,000 deaths per year are attributable to unhealthy diets and lack of exercise, factors that also contribute heavily to disabilities resulting from diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, and stroke. It is evident that many chronic and non-communicable diseases, such as certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases, may be prevented simply by eating enough fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. Regular physical activity, according to the US Surgeon General, “is one the most important things people can do to maintain and improve their physical health, mental health, and overall well-being.”
[edit] Influence of Tobacco Use
Tobacco use contributes to 440,000 deaths annually in the U.S. and is accompanied by $75 billion in medical expenses [15]. It is the most preventable cause of disease and death in the country. 3,900 U.S. children ages 12-17 years old smoke their first cigarette every day [16]. The Centers for Disease Control warns that “of all addictive behaviors, cigarette smoking is the one most likely to become established during adolescence”[17].
The effects of cigarettes on young people include respiratory and non-respiratory problems, nicotine addiction, and their potential as a “gateway drug.” Long term effects of tobacco use range from minor, treatable complications to death. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) agrees with the evidence: the most consistent finding, over decades of research, is the strong association between tobacco use and cancers of many sites. Specific to lung cancer, NCI reports that “rates in the United States have mirrored smoking patterns, with increases in smoking being followed by dramatic increases in lung cancer death rates and, more recently, decreases in smoking followed by decreased in lung cancer death rates in men” [18]. Following current smoking trends, as many as 6.4 million of today’s youth could suffer smoking-related premature deaths [19].
[edit] See Also
[edit] References
- ^ roadoflife.org - Home
- ^ roadoflife.org - Home
- ^ A Lion in the House - Community Service Kit
- ^ Our Partners
- ^ 07 AR.indd
- ^ roadoflife.org - Home
- ^ Teachers' Lounge: Road of Life - Elementary Health Curriculum
- ^ Teachers' Lounge: Road of Life - Elementary Health Curriculum
- ^ Curriki - Partners
- ^ Our Partners
- ^ Master of Public Health (MPH) - College of Public Health
- ^ Master of Public Health (MPH) - College of Public Health
- ^ School District Model Wellness Policy Language. Illinois Nutrition Education & Training Program, <www.kidseatwell.org>, p. 2
- ^ Macera, C. A. Promoting Healthy Eating and Physical Activity for a Healthier Nation. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- ^ Albuquerque, M., Starr, G., Schooley, M., Pechacek, T., and Henson, R. Advancing Tobacco Control Through Evidence-Based Programs. Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, p. 2
- ^ Tobacco Use and the Health of Young People. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (May 2006), p. 1
- ^ Tobacco Use and the Health of Young People. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (May 2006), p. 1
- ^ Cancer Prevention Overview: Health Professional Version (2006). National Cancer Institute , p. 2
- ^ Tobacco Use and the Health of Young People. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (May 2006), p. 1
