Health Rocks!®
Health Rocks!® is curricula for a healthy living program targeted at young people ages 8 to 14. Teen and adult facilitators share hands-on activities that educate youth on the consequences of tobacco, alcohol and drug use.
The program aims to:
- Reduce youth smoking and tobacco use.
- Help youth build life skills that lead to healthy lifestyle choices with special emphasis on youth smoking and tobacco use prevention.
- Help youth understand influences and health consequences of tobacco, drug, and alcohol use to make healthy choices.
- Engage youth and adults in partnership to develop and implement community strategies that promote healthy lifestyle choices.
- Build positive, enduring relationships with youth involved as full partners through widely varying "communities of interest" to address youth risk behaviors.
Delivering Lasting Impact
Analysis from 2011 shows that the Health Rocks! program was highly successful in educating youth.
- 96% of youth participants gained increased knowledge of the risks and consequences associated with tobacco usage
- 93% of youth participants gained increased knowledge about other risky behaviors
- 95% of youth participants learned social personal, social and/or resistance skills
- 96% of youth participants said that they personally disapprove of tobacco products
Watch this video, from our extension partners at the University of Tennessee, to see the Health Rocks! program in action.
To see how Health Rocks!® and other 4-H programs support Positive Youth Development, please visit the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development.
Purchase the Health Rocks!® Curriculum at 4-H Mall