Tobacco Prevention

Youth Vaping, Mental Health, and the Importance of Quitting

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, depression and anxiety in youth have increased. 1 in 5 high school students vape, and nearly 40% of them vape frequently.  The Truth Initiative sat down with the National Council for Mental Wellbeing to discuss e-cigarette use among youth, youth mental health, and why it’s important youth quit using e-cigarettes. Here are the highlights of what The Truth Initiative learned:

• A poll conducted by Morning Consult revealed that 73% of parents agree COVID-19 has affected the mental well-being of their K-12 children. 
• Youth and young adults with mental health and substance use challenges are more susceptible to trying e-cigarettes due to believing the marketing by tobacco companies that these devices are safer than traditional cigarettes. 
• The brain is still developing until age 25 and nicotine exposure through using e-cigarettes can impact brain development. 
• Individuals experiencing mental health challenges, such as depression or anxiety, are twice as likely to have tried e-cigarettes and three times more likely to be e-cigarette users. 
• Youth can text “Start My Quit” to 36072 for free, confidential My Life, My Quit coaching.
• The National Council for Mental Wellbeing and the National Behavioral Health Network for Tobacco and Cancer Control have many resources available for providers and youth-serving stakeholders. View the full article below for more information on Mental Health First Aid quitting resources. 

To read the full article, click here.

Tobacco Related Health Inequities

Big Tobacco companies utilize point of sale marketing (such as where tobacco retailers are located and how tobacco products are advertised) to target and pressure consumers based on characteristics like race, ethnicity, income, mental health status, gender, and sexual orientation. 

Targeted marketing and variations in local and state policies regulating tobacco retailers contribute to the inequities consumers experience in the retail environment. The number of tobacco retailers tends to be higher in neighborhoods with a higher proportion of residents of color and a higher proportion of residents with a lower socioeconomic status. In areas where more tobacco retailers are present, it is easier to access tobacco products and tobacco products tend to be cheaper. 

Residents of underserved communities may be more likely to use tobacco products due to experiencing inequalities such as income, poverty level, racism, increased stress levels, housing instability, and lack of access to quality education. The combination of chronic stress and higher rates of exposure to tobacco marketing have been found to lead to greater tobacco use and future health harms. 

Communities can work to counter Big Tobacco point of sale marketing by implementing evidenced based policies and practices at tobacco retailers. Theses efforts can help to counter Big Tobacco’s use of place, price, product, and promotion to target specific communities. 

For more information on ways to address tobacco-related health inequities, click here.

Empower Tusc’s Health Equity Workgroup

Empower Tusc has partnered with the Tuscarawas County Health Department to develop a health equity workgroup that will implement a five-year strategic plan to target tobacco-related inequities. The workgroup is working to increase tobacco prevention, cessation, and control efforts across the lower position of Tuscarawas County, specifically in the Twin Cities and Newcomerstown. The planned initiatives include youth education on the harms associated with vaping, parent education through mass media campaigns, increasing community knowledge on the issue of tobacco use, increasing availability and accessibility to treatment resources, and school staff education through the American Academy of Pediatrics Ask, Counsel, and Treat (ACT) training.

For more information or to join our health equity workgroup, please contact Jodi Salvo at jodi.salvo@ohioguidestone.org or Katelyn Gorius at kgorius@tchdnow.org.