how to address the public health issue of teen vaping

7 Unique Campaigns that Are Fighting the Youth Vaping Crisis

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Is vaping harmful to teens?

Vaping among preteens and teens has reached a crisis point, according to a 2019 survey, and it threatens to undo years of public health efforts that had led to a decline in nicotine use. Vaping increases the risk of teens developing an addiction to nicotine.

How can I Help my teenager stop vaping?

If a teen wants to stop vaping, make sure they receive access to professional help for breaking the habit and dealing with the physical and emotional symptoms of withdrawal. To summarize, teen vaping is common, and vaping health risks present real dangers for teens. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2018;38:1607–1615.

Is vaping becoming a public health crisis?

Another reason that vaping is becoming a public health crisis is the unknown long-term effects of the habit. Over 2,000 illnesses may seem like a small number compared to the number of people who have died from smoking related illnesses, but e-cigarettes are a relatively new product.

How many high school students vape?

Here we share the latest data, and dispel some common myths about vaping. The 2019 survey shows the rate of vaping among high school and middle school students continues to rise. With more than 1 in 4 high schoolers and 1 in 10 middle schoolers reporting vaping use, the need to educate families about the risks of vaping is critical.

How many high schoolers are vaping?

What is the danger of vaping?

How many people died from vaping in 2020?

What are the metals in e-cigarettes?

How old is too old to be addicted to nicotine?

Is vaping a public health crisis?

Is vaping a good alternative to smoking?

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How can we stop teenagers from vaping?

You might want to talk to a health care provider who can suggest effective nicotine cessation programs that help teens kick the habit.Vaping has become an epidemic. ... Ask questions. ... Be patient. ... Help them remove temptation. ... Encourage them to have a plan. ... Point them toward more help.

How can we prevent teenage smoking?

To help your teen avoid getting hooked, follow these tips.Set a good example. Teen smoking is more common among teens whose parents smoke. ... Understand the attraction. ... Say no. ... Think beyond cigarettes. ... Appeal to your teen's vanity. ... Do the math. ... Expect peer pressure. ... Take addiction seriously.More items...

How is vaping related to public health?

Vaping is causing an epidemic of nicotine addiction in teens Tobacco is the leading cause of disease and death in the United States, and its use is entirely preventable. Repeated vaping can lead to the same risk of addiction to nicotine that comes with smoking.

How can students stop vaping?

Here are six ways that you can stop vaping at your school:Create a vape-free policy. One of the best ways to stop vaping at your school is to create a vape-free policy. ... Install vape detectors. ... Educate your staff. ... Educate your students. ... Enforce consequences. ... Create a healthy school environment. ... Resources.

How do you convince someone to stop vaping?

What to DoCall the Maine QuitLink. As a friend or family member of a smoker or vaper, you can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to get information and tips on how to help others quit smoking or vaping.Offer lots of encouragement. ... Give practical help. ... Help keep busy. ... Have patience. ... Offer to help.

How can we solve the smoking problem?

Here are 10 ways to help you resist the urge to smoke or use tobacco when a craving strikes.Try nicotine replacement therapy. Ask your health care provider about nicotine replacement therapy. ... Avoid triggers. ... Delay. ... Chew on it. ... Don't have 'just one' ... Get physical. ... Try relaxation techniques. ... Call for reinforcements.More items...

Why is vaping an urgent threat to public health?

E-cigarettes are smoking initiation devices However, e-cigarettes still contain potentially harmful substances — such as heavy metals like lead, volatile organic compounds and cancer-causing agents — and evidence of vaping being an effective cessation method is limited and, in many cases, ambiguous.

How many teenagers are vaping?

2022 Findings on Youth E-Cigarette Use 14.1% (2.14 million) of high school students and 3.3% (380,000) of middle school students reported current e-cigarette use.

Is vaping a health issue?

2: Research suggests vaping is bad for your heart and lungs. It causes you to crave a smoke and suffer withdrawal symptoms if you ignore the craving. Nicotine is a toxic substance. It raises your blood pressure and spikes your adrenaline, which increases your heart rate and the likelihood of having a heart attack.

How should schools address vaping?

Here are three ways you can help your students to extinguish their vaping habit:Provide ongoing education – at an earlier age. Years of public health education on the dangers of nicotine have paid off. ... Go beyond citation and suspension – and help students quit. ... Engage peers, staff, and family.

How do I talk to my teenager about vaping?

How to approach your teen to discuss the dangers of e-cigarette useLook for a natural conversation starter. ... Explain that most e-cigarettes do contain nicotine. ... Point out the dangers of vaping without judgment and let them know you're concerned about their health. ... Remind them that not everyone vapes.More items...

What can I do instead of vaping?

Here are some ideas:Keep your mouth and hands busy. Chew gum. ... Exercise. Go for a walk. ... Change your routine. ... Use nicotine replacement therapy. ... Tell others that you are quitting. ... Prepare to handle places where people smoke. ... Take deep breaths. ... Let your feelings out.More items...

How can you prevent smoking at home?

Tips to Keep a Smoke-free Home:Never smoke inside your home, even when it's cold outside. ... Create a comfortable place to smoke outdoors for both yourself and any visitors who smoke.Keeping an umbrella near the door will help encourage you to go outside to smoke even when the weather is bad.More items...•

How do you motivate someone to stop smoking?

You can help by:telling them to take it one day at a time and reward themselves throughout the quitting process.encouraging them to exercise regularly - this helps deal with withdrawal symptoms, avoid weight gain and improve mood.reminding them to look after themselves - to get plenty of sleep and eat well.More items...

Why do teenagers start smoking?

Peer pressure—their friends encourage them to try cigarettes and to keep smoking. They see smoking as a way of rebelling and showing independence. They think that everyone else is smoking and that they should, too. The tobacco industry has used clever marketing tactics to specifically target teenagers.

What is the importance of preventing cigarette smoking?

improves health status and enhances quality of life. reduces the risk of premature death and can add as much as 10 years to life expectancy. reduces the risk for many adverse health effects, including poor reproductive health outcomes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cancer.

What are the measures that schools can take to curb vaping?

Media reports have indicated that schools go to extreme lengths to curtail use, such as limiting bathroom access, banning certain types of clothing that could be used to hide vaping devices, randomly testing students for nicotine, punishing fines and police involvement. Some schools also are looking beyond short-term penalties towards shifting culture through awareness, public education campaigns and community outreach.

Which states have banned e-cigarettes?

Just this month, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban the sale of all e-cigarettes, and new laws went into effect in Colorado limiting e-cigarette and flavored tobacco use. Widespread concern over the impact on youth smoking have led to these legislative changes.

How many measures are there to control cigarette smoking?

The National Safety Council has addressed the public health impact of cigarette smoking by recommending six specific tobacco control measures, and a new policy to address electronic nicotine delivery system, or ENDS products, calling for additional regulations and raising public health risk awareness.

Did teen smoking decline?

These trends are alarming because for the decade prior, teen smoking had actually declined, thanks in part to the success of edgy public education campaigns, aggressive anti-smoking policies, and overall tobacco use losing the social cachet and acceptance it once had. Unfortunately, nearly 80% of youth were exposed to e-cigarette marketing in 2016 according to the latest information available from the CDC, and increased sales have outpaced medical research and knowledge of the near- and long-term health effects of prolonged use.

Do teens use e-cigarettes?

Teens are now more likely to use e-cigarettes than other types of tobacco products. The Monitoring the Future survey, conducted by the University of Michigan, also found that nicotine use by high school students via vaping has nearly doubled.

Can vaping cause cancer?

Not all e-liquids or vape juice contains nicotine, but even without it e-cigarette aerosol can contain heavy metals and other potentially cancer-causing compounds . Nicotine exposure during adolescence has been shown to be harmful and even increase the risk of potential use of other substances. Vaping may also lead to conventional smoking, as National Institute on Drug Abuse has found that nearly a third of teen e-cigarette users begin smoking other tobacco products within six months.

What are the health risks of vaping?

What is more concerning than this is the fact that vaping appears to cause serious lung injury. Many people who vape have fallen victim to respiratory illnesses that are not due to infection. People who use e-cigarettes often report problems like: 1 Coughing 2 Breathing difficulties 3 Shortness of breath 4 Nausea 5 Chest pains

Why is vaping bad for health?

Another reason that vaping is becoming a public health crisis is the unknown long-term effects of the habit. Over 2,000 illnesses may seem like a small number compared to the number of people who have died from smoking related illnesses, but e-cigarettes are a relatively new product. Since they have only been on the market for around 10 years in America, long-term studies as to their potential risks are not yet in the books. No one has studied people who have used e-cigarettes for several decades to determine whether or not this product will affect the cardiovascular or pulmonary systems long-term or cause cancer.

How long has vaping been around?

Vaping has been on the market in the United States for about 10 years. Across the globe, the number of people vaping is growing exponentially. In 2011, the estimated number of “vapers” was about 7 million. In 2018, it had grown to 41 million.

Why is vaping so popular?

Vaping is growing in popularity both because of the addictive nature of the substances people place inside e-cigarettes and because of the fun flavoring that is used in these products. Yet more and more health officials are expressing concern about vaping after a rash of people who have become ill or even died due to this pastime.

What is a vape?

Vaping uses battery-powered devices called e-cigarettes have specially designed cartridges that contain nicotine, flavorings and other chemicals. The device turns these into vapor, which the user inhales in order to experience the effects of the nicotine, rather than smoking it through a traditional cigarette.

How many people died from vaping?

This was the first teenager in the country to die due to vaping, and the boy was added to a growing list of 23 people killed because of vaping, with many more deaths under investigation.

Can teens vape?

In addition, the lower entry-level nicotine strengths popular with teens can give the false impression that there is less risk with vaping than with traditional smoking, which provides less control. Unfortunately, studies have shown that vaping as a teenager increases the likelihood of using other nicotine products later in life, including cigarettes.

How to tell if a teen is vaping?

What Parents Can Do About Teen Vaping 1 Watch for warning signs. Because e-cigarettes do not have an odor, it’s harder to tell when teens are using them. However, there are other signs to watch for, including bloodshot eyes, increased thirst, nosebleeds, and cough. 2 Ask open-ended questions. Avoid yes/no questions when talking with teens about vaping. Ask them what they’ve heard about vaping and what their peers think about it. Approach the conversation with caring and curiosity, not judgment. If a teen admits to vaping, react with compassion. 3 Let them know about the dangers. Make sure that teens understand the potential long-term consequences of vaping. 4 Set a good example. If parents don’t want their teens to vape or smoke, they shouldn’t do so either. Teens will have a hard time believing that vaping is dangerous if they see adults doing it. 5 Get them the help they need. If a teen wants to stop vaping, make sure they receive access to professional help for breaking the habit and dealing with the physical and emotional symptoms of withdrawal.

What can parents do about vaping?

What Parents Can Do About Teen Vaping. Parents can take steps to help prevent their kids from vaping health risks. In particular, communication between parents and teens is key in supporting good choices and positive coping mechanisms. Here are some ways to protect teens from the dangers of vaping.

What Is Vaping?

Vaping refers to the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol, or vapor, created by a vaping device. A vaping device includes a mouthpiece, a battery, a heating component, and a cartridge that contains the e-liquid or e-juice. The e-liquid is a combination of nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals. Vaping devices can also be used to vaporize THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana, by replacing e-liquids with cannabis-infused oils.

What are the chemicals in vape juice?

Along with nicotine, vaping liquids contain additives such as propylene glycol and glycerol. These toxic chemicals have been linked to cancer, respiratory disease, and heart disease. Scientists have also found that diacetyl, a chemical used to flavor some vape juice, may cause a condition called “popcorn lung,” the scarring and obstruction of the lungs’ smallest airways. In addition, a study found that some common chemicals used to flavor vape juice could damage endothelial cells. These are the cells that line blood vessels and lymph vessels.

What is the purpose of a vape battery?

The battery in a vaping device powers the heating component, which heats up the e-liquid , also known as vape juice . As a result, the device produces water vapor. Users inhale this vapor into their lungs.

How much has vaping increased in high school?

According to the most recent Monitoring the Future study, use of vaping nicotine has nearly doubled among high school seniors, increasing from 11 percent in 2017 to 20.9 percent in 2018. Vaping has also significantly increased among eighth and 10th graders.

How many deaths from vaping?

Most recently, a vaping-related health crisis has resulted in hundreds of respiratory illnesses across the United States and at least six deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Why is vaping important?

With youth vaping as a significant public health concern—including its implications for physical health, mental health, and COVID-associated risks— leveraging technology can be an important strategy to help support and promote healthy behaviors among young people. Technology-based solutions have the potential to be far-reaching, especially during shelter-in-place, and social media in particular can deliver engaging intervention material directly to teens in a medium that is already deeply integrated into their lives.

What is the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education?

This important work is being developed in collaboration with Rescue Agency, a San Diego, CA digital marketing firm with expertise in smoking cessation interventions, and the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education (CTCRE), a leading scientific voice against practices that undermine science at the expense of human lives. Much like in the early days of traditional cigarette research, very little is known about the health effects of vaping. However, what is known largely comes out of the research from the UCSF CTCRE. The combined core competencies of this partnership bring to bear a mix of deep research expertise, co-creation design processes, and dynamic outreach capabilities.

Is vaping a public health issue?

Long before the emergence of COVID-19, nicotine vaping among teens was a public health crisis. Over the past 10 years, we’ve seen year-over-year increases in vaping among young people, and beginning in 2014, vaping rates among teens began to surpass those of cigarette smoking. In 2020, despite being primarily sequestered indoors, more than 3 million American teenagers reported vaping over the past 30 days—a staggering 20% of high-schoolers.

Do teens want to quit vaping?

The good news is that teens want to quit. To directly tackle vaping cessation among young people, our team is co-designing an intervention specifically for teens who have expressed a desire to quit, and/or who are getting ready to quit. To date, we’ve conducted comprehensive listening sessions with over 200 teens to learn more about their lives and their experiences vaping. Co-created with young people who have both vaping and quitting experience, we have developed a tool that will encourage and support other young people to quit vaping, enabling them to ‘on-ramp’ to a path toward health and well-being.

Is vaping bad for you?

Vaping can also be dangerous for mental health, especially for young people. The adolescent brain has enhanced sensitivity to the addictive properties of nicotine, a psychomotor stimulant that speeds simple reaction time and improves performance on tasks of sustained attention in new users. Once teens begin to develop a tolerance, they may suffer from attention deficits or experience increased risks to the onset of psychiatric disorders and cognitive impairment. Besides the implications of hampered ability to learn and pay attention, there are increasing concerns from the public health community about the relationship between teen vaping and mental health problems like depression, anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. If addiction to vaping can be reduced, it could have a positive impact on multiple dimensions of teens’ overall mental health.

What to do if a friend offers a cigarette?

Discuss what they might say if a friend offers a cigarette or e-cigarette. Set a good example. If you smoke or vape, the best thing you can do is quit. At a minimum, don’t smoke around your children. Establish a smoke-free home. Don’t allow family members or friends to smoke in your home or car.

How to steer kids away from tobacco?

Here are some of the most effective ways you can steer your kids away from tobacco: Maintain a dialogue. Start early — begin talking with your kids about smoking and vaping in kindergarten. Be honest and open to seeing things from your child’s point of view. And don’t stop.

What are tobacco companies targeting?

Tobacco companies are targeting young people with ads, price discounts and enticing new products such as e-cigs designed to look like sleek gadgets. Many teens and young adults exposed to these efforts are highly impressionable and dealing with social pressures to “fit in” with peers.

Can you smoke with your kids?

At a minimum, don’t smoke around your children. Establish a smoke-free home. Don’t allow family members or friends to smoke in your home or car. Make sure the places your child spends a lot of time are tobacco-free. If your child has started smoking or vaping, try to learn why.

What is the ad council about vaping?

The Ad Council ‘s “ Talk About Vaping ” campaign drives parents to get their head out of the cloud and learn the facts about youth vaping so they can have proactive , ongoing conversations with their children about the dangers of vaping.

What Does the Latest Research Say About the Toxicity of E-Cigarettes?

A study in the journal Cancer Prevention Research found that just one month of vaping altered the lungs of people who had never vaped before. Lungs of people in the vaping group experienced small changes in inflammation over the course of four weeks.

How many high schoolers are vaping?

The 2019 survey shows the rate of vaping among high school and middle school students continues to rise. With more than 1 in 4 high schoolers and 1 in 10 middle schoolers reporting vaping use, the need to educate families about the risks of vaping is critical.

What is the danger of vaping?

Vaping exposes children and teens to harmful metals and toxic chemicals found in e-cigarettes.

How many people died from vaping in 2020?

Those direct health harms include a dramatic rise in acute lung injuries associated with vaping, known as EVALI. It’s unclear what is causing the condition, but the common denominator is e-cigarette use. Across the United States, more than 2,660 cases of EVALI hospitalization or deaths were reported to the CDC, as of Jan. 14, 2020. Sixty deaths related to EVALI were confirmed in 27 states and the District of Columbia during the same time. “These are lung injuries that look like the person worked in a chemical plant for years,” says Dr. Jenssen.

What are the metals in e-cigarettes?

On top of that, recent research on actual e-cigarette users has shown that they are taking in heavy metals like nickel, tin and lead, as well as chemicals known to cause cancer. Some of that is coming from the flavorings and the heating devices, and some is from the tobacco from which the liquids are made.

How old is too old to be addicted to nicotine?

Children and teenagers younger than 18 years old are especially vulnerable to addiction. “Nicotine can change the biochemical pathways in the body, making paying attention more difficult and priming the brain for addiction,” says Dr. Jenssen.

Is vaping a public health crisis?

Teen Vaping Is a Public Health Crisis: What You Need to Know . Vaping among preteens and teens has reached a crisis point, according to a 2019 survey, and it threatens to undo years of public health efforts that had led to a decline in nicotine use. Parents should be concerned because: Vaping increases the risk of teens developing an addiction ...

Is vaping a good alternative to smoking?

Myth: Vaping is a “healthier” alternative to smoking. Fact: There is no evidence that supports the claim that vaping is a healthier alternative to smoking. These products are not regulated by the FDA and do not disclose their ingredients. Myth: Vapes don’t contain nicotine.