Youth e-cigarette use is on the rise, elevating concerns about the impact on brain health and potential for addiction. Despite facts to the contrary, about 72 percent of teens do not see harm in occasionally using e-cigarettes.
The resources below can help facilitate student research into the epidemic and inspire peer advocacy efforts.
- The CDC's Facts about the risks of E-cigarettes are here.
-The CDC's infographic on e-cigarettes.
- The Surgeon General’s Warning about e-cigarettes is here.
-The FDA has created a Camapaign called the “Real Cost”
- Georgetown’s "Nurses Explore the Health Effects of Vaping” guide discusses social factors that influence adolescent e-cigarette use with updated statistics regarding the prevalence of this issue in the U.S.
-Regis College Public Health's visual guide about the harmful effects of vaping is here.
- The University of Nevada, Reno just released this resource guide titled,Does Vaping Cause Cancer? An Inside Look at the Latest Teenage Health Risk. This in-depth resource guide was created for parents, the health organizations and public health agencies who are looking to share information about vaping’s impact on teenage health and methods to reduce this risk
- Learn how advertising strategies impact youth by reading this article or visiting Stanford's Research into Tobacco Advertising.
Idea: Lead an activity with students to help them identify and evaluate advertising motives and strategies.
- Health World’s 10 minute Vaping Prevention video (streamed from the internet) teaches 5th-8th graders about the risks of e-cigarette use. Complete the form here and get immediate access.
Idea: Share this video with a class of younger students or students in an after school program. Discuss reasons why people may Juul/vape and why they may not. Discuss how advertising may impact decisions.
- Locate and Display current news articles that address vaping and the possible health risks. An example is here or here.
School Announcement/ Social Media Script Ideas
For Vaping/ Juuling Awareness Week
Use these reminders with a link to a video, infographic, or article, or have them stand on their own!
Monday: Are you one of the many students who thinks occasional vaping is harmless? E-cigarette/ JUUL use poses a significant and preventable health risk to young people. Besides increasing the possibility of addiction and long-term harm to brain development and respiratory health, e-cigarette use is associated with the use of other tobacco products that can do even more damage to the body.
Tuesday: The nicotine found in JULLs and other vape pens is the same addictive chemical found in traditional cigarettes. Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development, which continues into the early to mid-20s.
Wednesday: Vaping delivers nicotine to the brain in as little as 10 seconds. Because a brain is still developing, it is more vulnerable to nicotine addiction. What’s more, teens who vape are more likely to smoke cigarettes due in part to the nicotine addiction which leaves users always craving more.
Thursday: Each time a new memory is created or a new skill is learned, stronger connections – or synapses – are built between brain cells. Young people’s brains build synapses faster than adult brains. Nicotine changes the way these synapses are formed.
Friday: Even when using e-cigarettes that do not contain nicotine, vaping exposes a user’s lungs to harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, as well as toxic metal particles like nickel, tin, and lead. It’s not just water vapor users are inhaling!
Spread Awareness and Be an Advocate through a Lunchtime Activity
The banners below can be shared with your school to host a lunchtime activity where students are confronted with the ingredients in e-cigarettes as they either sign the banner or are photographed in front of it holding signs listing the ingredients. Email jreeve@healthworldeducation.org to be sent a pdf of the banner which can be printed on plain paper by a large-format printer (the banner is 24" X67")
Option 1: Pledge (students sign names to banner)
Option 2: Photo Booth (use this banner as a photo background where students hold up signs with ingredients written on them in front of the grey mist). Up to 6 students can be in the image, each solding one ingredient, or 1-2 students can hold the ingredient they find most offensive.
If you're a parent or teacher looking for a comprehensive vaping prevention resource for teens, consider our e-book Let's Talk About Vaping: A Guide for Teens on the Dangers of E-Cigarettes and Vape Devices