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Children told to stop parents smoking

A controversial anti-smoking project has been launched in Essex, aiming to get parents to stop smoking by teaching children at nursery about its health risks.

A health advisor from the Colchester and Tendring NHS Stop Smoking Service has visited two nurseries so far, giving talks to three- and four-year-olds about several health issues, including smoking. The children were shown dolls to demonstrate how the lungs of a smoker look compared with those of a non-smoker and were given a sticker, a picture to colour in and an NHS leaflet and questionnaire to give to their parents.

Jill Smith, nursery manager at Little Pals Neighbourhood Nursery in Clacton-on-sea, Essex, which took part in one of the sessions last Friday, said, 'The message that smoking is harmful was put across very delicately and tactfully among a range of other health issues, such as head lice and hand washing.'

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