Positive prevention has an effect

For six years, Jón Ragnar Jónsson, a singer, entertainer, economist, footballer and positive role model, has visited all Year 9 pupils in Hafnarfjörður with an educational programme on healthy living and tobacco prevention. Jón connects well with the children, and the results have not failed to materialise.

The Cancer Society and the Municipality of Hafnarfjörður are behind this project, along with Jón himself, who discusses the matter openly and with his usual brilliance. In 2010, teenage chewing tobacco use was at a historic high, and it was considered a given that positive prevention was more likely to succeed than other methods. The results have not been slow to come, and the use of smokeless tobacco in Hafnarfjörður has fallen from 10% in 2010 to 1% at the end of 2016. 

Positive prevention is, among other things, about promoting in various ways what is fun and desirable, and encouraging young people to lead a healthy lifestyle. During his visits, Jón speaks out strongly against the use of chewing tobacco and sings, for example, a love song which features chewing tobacco, prompting the children to reflect on what is truly important in life. Schools in Hafnarfjörður have welcomed the initiative from the outset, and teachers have expressed great satisfaction with this positive boost, which works well with the young people and creates a basis for discussion between teachers and pupils about prevention, lifestyle and substance abuse.