It’s one thing to learn about the perils of underage vaping from a Drug Abuse Prevention Counselor, but quite another to hear about it firsthand from some high school students who have either quit the habit or in the process of trying to.
To view the designed article, visit: https://5il.co/2k86m
Five members of the Wayne County Community Schools Youth Coalition courageously shared, for the first time publicly, some of the highs and lows of their vaping experiences at the Newark Central School District’s two-hour “What You Need To Know About Vaping” evening event April 24th at Newark High School.
A few Newark High School students, parents, administrators and presenters from five area agencies tasked with advocating healthy lifestyle choices heard what they had to say, but what these teens shared clearly made an impact. The applause and comments they received after briefly sharing about their individual struggles with vaping told the story.
Sparse attendance at the event was not for a lack of outreach to NHS and Newark Middle School students and parents by administrators and Newark High School Community Schools Coordinator Kim Howell who planned the event to heighten awareness of the devastating effects of vaping on youth affecting schools and communities throughout the nation.
For those who want to know more, here is a link to an informative article about vaping produced by the Mayo Clinic Health System: https:// www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown[1]health/speaking-of-health/a-doctors-warning[1]about-the-dangers-of-vaping
Dr. Francisco Cartujano-Barrera, right, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and Assistant Director of the Office of Community Outreach & Engagement at URMC’s Wilmot Cancer Institute, led a half-hour interactive discussion with the audience, including the Youth Coalition members, at the beginning the event.
One of the key points he emphasized was that not enough research has been done yet to ascertain whether vaping is more harmful than smoking cigarettes or using other tobacco products.
“What is really alarming is that there is no regulation on the amount of nicotine in electronic cigarettes,’’ he said. “There are also many different flavors and the tobacco industry is very clever. Some of these e-cigarettes actually smell very good.”
He said the tobacco industry uses slick marketing tactics like paying famous people like pop singer Bruno Mars to promote e-cigarettes on their social media.
See related Stanford Medicine blog article here: https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/ 2020/02/19/teens-vulnerable-to-social-media-promotion-of-vaping/
While many users claim they vape to reduce stress and anxiety, Dr. Cartujano[1]Barrera asserted being physically active is more effective in reducing stress and anxiety.
Afterward, he said research shows 1 in 10 Middle and High School students vape. He didn’t have statistics about the prevalence of vaping at earlier school grade levels. One of the 5 teens who spoke said he vaped for the first time when he was in third grade.
“Dr. Francisco Cartujano-Berrera’s discussion was informative with research, proven facts and engaging discourse with our audience. Throughout his message to the group, he displayed a passion for informing the public about the dangers nicotine has for our youth today,” NHS Assistant Principal Joe Canori said.
“I want to commend the Wayne County Community Schools Youth Coalition panel, that for the first time ever stood before a crowd to present their stories on how vaping affected them, their social life, their families and how they are navigating the world since quitting. The stories that these young men shared should be heard by students across the region as their messages took courage to share and were impactful! I challenged this group to continue to push their stories out to others going through the same struggles they faced as students. Learning from students is one of the strongest ways to reach our youth today.
“A huge thank you to Kim Howell, for organizing the event. Without her efforts the vaping event would not have been possible,” Canori continued.
He also thanked the organizations that set up informational displays in the cafeteria that included: the Tobacco Action Coalition of the Finger Lakes, Wayne County Public Health; the Council on Alcoholism and Addictions of the Finger Lakes; Finger Lakes Area Counseling and Recovery Agency’s Youth Clubhouse and RMC’s Wilmot’s Community Outreach and Engagement.
Howell later said the vaping event was just the beginning of raising awareness about vaping among youth.
"The hope for this event was to start the education process about vaping in our community, in and out of school, as well as introduce the organizations who support prevention and cessation of vaping in the Newark community. This knowledge is needed for the youth who vape; for those who will be tempted to vape; and their families to provide understanding of what is happening or could be happening to their bodies as a result. The more we know, the more we can support. "