CHICAGO, IL -- (Marketwire) -- 09/20/12 -- The American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation awarded more than $190,000 in grant funds to 25 nonprofit organizations to educate young people about prescription medication safety through the Healthy Living Grant program.

Research has shown that promoting and establishing healthy behaviors for younger people is more effective, and often easier, than efforts to change unhealthy behaviors in adults. Each year, the AMA Foundation supports grassroots, youth-focused health education programs in an effort to provide community-based solutions to behavioral health issues.

The 2012 Healthy Living Grants, made possible by a generous grant from Purdue Pharma, focused on supporting medical organizations with prescription medication safety projects targeting children and youth ages 2 to 21. The funded projects include youth-led social marketing campaigns, educational forums for health care professionals, parental toolkits and e-learning modules geared towards various age groups.

"It is a serious public health issue, and of great personal concern, that one in six children has abused prescription medications," stated AMA Foundation President Clarence Chou, MD. "These grants provide critical support for communities and organizations to combat this problem on a local level by funding innovative programs tailored to each of their specific needs."

The Healthy Living Grant program has awarded more than $740,000 to 313 health education projects teaching young people about nutrition, physical fitness and violence prevention. AMA Foundation grants provide organizations with public recognition and an esteemed "stamp of approval" that frequently leads recipients to leverage additional funding or enlist new volunteers.

To see the list of the 2012 Healthy Living Grant recipient organizations and learn more about their health education projects, visit www.amafoundation.org/go/healthyliving.

The AMA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt foundation, is dedicated to improving public health by providing philanthropic support to high-impact health and medical scholarship programs. Visit www.amafoundation.org or follow us on Facebook to join the AMA Foundation in improving the health of Americans.