Health Promotion Project

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - CDC is categorical that “the use of e-cigarettes is unsafe for kids, teens, and young adults” (CDC, 2020). As a matter of fact, most e-cigarettes, as CDC further points out, have nicotine as one of the ingredients. In addition to having a negative effect on the brain development of adolescents, nicotine is also highly addictive and as CDC observes, teens who smoke e-cigarettes have a significantly high likelihood of embracing cigarette smoking later on in life (CDC, 2020). According to the County Government of Placer, teen vaping has been on the increase in the county (County of Placer, 2019). Indeed, in this very county, “nearly a quarter of 11th graders reported having used an e-cigarette in 2018 — significantly higher than the number smoking whole cigarettes” (County of Placer, 2019). A wide range of reasons that have contributed to this trend. These include peer pressure and the prevalence of e-cig adverts. Indeed, as the National Institute of Drug Abuse – NIDA points out, approximately three quarters of teens in high school are exposed to e-cigarette advertisements on a regular basis. In the words of NIDA (2016), “among high school students, 56.3 percent are exposed to retail ads, 42.9 percent to internet ads, 38.4 percent to TV and movie ads, and 34.6 percent to newspaper and magazine ads.”

Based on the findings above, there is need to embrace strategies meant to reverse the teen vaping trend in Placer County. The most effective approach, on the basis of the report by NIDA, could be rolling out an online campaign designed to highlight the negative effects of vaping and educate teens on the need to quit vaping. This is more so the case given that as NIDA points out, 42.9 percent of high school students are exposed to interned ads promoting vaping. It would be prudent to counter the message of the said ads with actual facts. It is on this basis that I seek to obtain “seed money” for this particular health promotion undertaking.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC (2020). Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/Quick-Facts-on-the-Risks-of-E-cigarettes-for-Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults.html

County of Placer (2019). Placer, Others See Increase in Teen Vaping. Retrieved from https://www.placer.ca.gov/Blog.aspx?IID=8

National Institute of Drug Abuse – NIDA (2016). Teens and E-cigarettes. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/infographics/teens-e-cigarettes