Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Protect Young People for E-Cigarettes
Dear Colleague,
CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) is launching a national communication initiative, “Protect Young People from E-Cigarettes,” to educate staff working in school settings about the risks of youth e-cigarette use. Youth e-cigarette use remains a public health concern. In 2020, nearly 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 20 middle school students reported current use of e-cigarettes. E-cigarette use among youth is unsafe. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development. E-cigarettes come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors, some of which are easy to hide.
The “Protect Young People from E-cigarettes” initiative aims to inform educators and other youth influencers about the risks of youth e-cigarette use and empower them to help youth avoid or quit e-cigarette use. Advertisements for the initiative target educators who work with U.S. middle and high school students, including teachers, coaches, and on-site school administrators. Ads will be placed on a variety of online platforms beginning April 5th and run through the end of September 2021. The national media placements include digital display, digital video, and search ads, along with paid placements on social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn).
Share messages and resources!
CDC has free resources for you to help spread the word. Here’s what you can do:
- Use CDC-created social media, like the one attached to this email, on your platforms. New social media will be available for free to download from OSH’s Media Campaign Resource Center beginning mid-April. If you need MCRC support or have any questions, please send an email to mcrc@cdc.gov.
- Follow @CDCTobaccoFree on Twitter and CDC Tobacco Free on Facebook for more updates about e-cigarettes and youth.
- Visit cdc.gov/e-cigarettes for additional information and resources about youth e-cigarette use.
If you or your staff have questions related to the “Protect Young People From E-cigarettes” media placements, please send an email to OSHCommTA@cdc.gov.
Public health practitioners, healthcare professionals, parents, teachers, and other youth influencers have a shared duty to protect all youth from dangerous products and chemicals — including harmful tobacco products like e-cigarettes. Please join us in this initiative and share this announcement with your organization, partners, and extended networks.
Thank you,
CDC Office of Smoking and Health
Severe Pulmonary Disease Associated with Using E-Cigarette Products
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is providing:
1) background information on the forms of e-cigarette products,
2) information on the multistate outbreak of severe pulmonary disease associated with using e-cigarette products (devices, liquids, refill pods, and cartridges), and
3) clinical features of patients with severe pulmonary disease. This health advisory also provides recommendations for clinicians, public health officials, and the public based on currently available information.
Outbreak of Lung Injury Associated with E-Cigarette Use, or Vaping Key facts about E-Cigarette Use, or Vaping
E-cigarette
Lung Injury Associated with E-cigarette or Vaping Products Learn more about the key facts for e-Cigarette or vaping products. What we know, don’t know and what CDC recommends.
Quick Facts on the Risks of E-Cigarettes for kids, teens and young adults:
American Lung Association Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are tobacco products that have been sold in the U.S. for about a decade. They include e-pens, e-pipes, e-hookah, and e-cigars, known collectively as ENDS—electronic nicotine delivery systems. They’re also sometimes called JUULs, “vapes” and “vape pens.” E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco products among kids—and it’s become an epidemic. While much remains to be determined about the lasting health consequences of e-cigarettes, there’s evolving evidence about the health risks of e-cigarettes on the lungs—including irreversible lung damage and lung disease.
The American Lung Association is very concerned that we are at risk of losing another generation to tobacco-caused diseases as the result of e-cigarettes. The Lung Association remains extremely troubled about the rapid increase of youth using these products and has repeatedly called upon the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase their oversight and scrutiny of these products to protect kids.
Surgeon General of the United States Know the Risk of E-Cigarettes and Young People from the Surgeon General
Stanford Tobacco Prevention Tool Kit This module provides an understanding of the inner workings of e-cigarettes, the content of the aerosols they produce, and thirdhand smoke. It’s broken down into 5 units, each of which explore e-cigarettes in-depth.
D.A.R.E D.A.R.E. Responds to Vaping Crisis with New Enhancement Lesson
CDC Basic Information Get the facts about electronic cigarettes, their health effects and the risks of using e-cigarettes.
DrugAbuse.Gov Latest science on nicotine addiction and its links to other chronic diseases.
The Real Cost Campaign By 2017, 2.1 million middle and high school students reported they currently use e-cigarettes,2raising alarm about pervasive vaping in schools. In 2018, with the upward trajectory of youth e-cigarette use continuing at an even more distressing rate, “The Real Cost” developed a new series of messages for reaching the 10.7 million youth aged 12-17 who have ever used e-cigarettes or are open to trying them.
New Mexico Resources
2017 NM-YRRS Results: E-Cigarette Use: The use of e-cigarettes during adolescence increases the risk for adverse health effects and lifelong nicotine addiction. This is the second year the NM-YRRS included questions about e-cigarette use. These questions define e-cigarettes as electronic vapor products such as blu, NJOY, Vuse, MarkTen, Logic, Vapin Plus, eGo, and Halo and includes e-cigars, e-pipes, vape pipes, vaping pens, e-hookahs, and hookah pens.
Students who used e-cigarettes were likely to engage in similar risk behaviors as students who use other forms of tobacco. Compared to students who did not use e-cigarettes, they were more likely to use other forms of tobacco (47.9% vs. 8.9%), to binge drink (30.8% vs. 4.8%), to use pain killers to get high (14.8% vs. 3.4%), and to earn low grades in school (11.5% vs. 5.1%). Read full report here.
New Mexico Department of Health New Mexico Department of Health Warns about Vaping-Associated Lung Disease
New Mexico tobacco Use Prevention and Control Program (TUPAC) Campaign and resources to prevent youth and young adults from starting to use or to quit using tobacco products.
New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey The New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey (YRRS) is a tool to assess the health risk behaviors and resiliency (protective) factors of New Mexico high school and middle school students. The YRRS is part of the national CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). The survey results have widespread benefits for New Mexico at the state, county, and school district levels.
YRRS Connections July 2020 Tobacco Trends 2019
YRRS Connections Risk Behavior Comparison August 2018
Smoke Free New Mexico Beginning June 14, 2019, e-cigarette use will be prohibited everywhere smoking is prohibited in New Mexico, including stores, offices, bars, restaurants and other workplaces.
New Mexico VAPE “VAPE” is centered around a documentary program regarding the use of E-cigarettes especially in the youth community so parents, educators and juveniles understand the spectrum of health issues and dangers associated with these products. Because the number of youth users is rising dramatically, the program helps explain the product and its various uses including for nicotine and cannabis consumption. Communities, parents, and, most importantly, teen peers will learn the current facts around this kind of ingestion.
Safe Teen New Mexico SafeTeen New Mexico is a youth driven non-profit organization. We partner with both public and private entities to fund and create in school programs as well as social issue documentaries and campaigns that educate teens, parents and educators about critical issues facing youth.
Specifically for Youth
E-Cigarettes: Talk to Youth about the Risks
CATCH My Breath CATCH My Breath is a best-practices youth E-cigarette and JUUL prevention program developed by The University of Texas Health
Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health. The program provides up-to-date information to teachers, parents, and health professionals to equip students with the
knowledge and skills they need to make informed decisions about the use of E-cigarettes, including JUUL devices. CATCH My Breath utilizes a peer-led teaching approach and meets National and State Health Education Standards.