Health Department Launches Campaign Against Vaping

The use of e-cigarettes and vapes has steadily increased over the last several years, especially among high school students. To counteract this trend, the Garrett County Health Department is launching a month-long campaign. Under the slogan “Lungs to Last a Lifetime,” the campaign uses bookmarks, weekly contests, and a student video of the NHS girls’ soccer team to bring a non-use message to youth.

More than one in four high school students in the U.S. use e-cigarettes. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey, 27.5% of high school students reported using a vaping device in the previous 30 days. This is up from 20.8% in 2018. In Garrett County, the rate was slightly higher at 30.5% in 2016, the most recent local results that were available.

“We are hoping this campaign will help teens think about what they are putting into their lungs,” said Kendra McLaughlin, director of Health Education and Outreach at the health department. “We were already working on this campaign when the news started hitting about the more than 800 cases of vaping-related illnesses nationwide. There are still unanswered questions about the outbreak, but one thing we have always known is that nicotine and vaping are never safe for youth.”

According to the CDC, youth, young adults, and pregnant women should NOT use e-cigarette products. In addition, anyone who does use an e-cigarette product should not buy it off the street, and should not add any substances to the products that are not intended by the manufacturer.

Symptoms of lung injury reported by some patients in the current outbreak have included cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, abdominal pain. Anyone with symptoms like these who recently used an e-cigarette or vaping product should see a healthcare provider.

As for the health department’s campaign, it will be active throughout October, with different messages going out each week. The messages are simple and to the point:

• Vaping flavors sound really good and smell really good, but they are made from chemicals that aren’t safe to inhale into your lungs.
• Vaping delivers nicotine to the brain in as little as 10 seconds. Besides harming a teen’s brain, nicotine is addictive and can lead to future addiction. Teens are 4x more likely to start using other tobacco products.
• Using a Juul pod a day or even every other day adds up to about $20 per week, $80 per month, and almost $1,000 per year.
• When you use e-cigarettes, you breathe in tiny particles that can harm your lungs. Defective e-cigarette batteries have caused fires and explosions.

Instructions for entering the weekly contests are on the backs of the bookmarks being distributed in the high schools throughout the month. Winners will choose between a season sports pass or school merchandise.

The KickingTobacco.com website includes information about getting support to quit vaping, including a text-to-quit vaping service that’s easy and free. There’s also help for anyone who is trying to quit other forms of tobacco use.  Free classes are scheduled throughout the year and are open to users of all types of tobacco, including cigarettes, smokeless, and electronic smoking devices. 

For more information about quitting vaping or tobacco, or about cessation classes, call the health department at 301-334-7730 or 301-895-3111 or go to KickingTobacco.com.

Cutline: Pictured above is the first of a series of four bookmarks distributed to Garrett County high school students in a campaign designed by the health department to reduce the use of vapes and e-cigarettes.  The most recent available local data (2016) showed high school use rates in Garrett County at 30.5%,

By Diane Lee, Public Information Officer, Garrett County Health Department