Welcome to Season Three of the Air Health Our Health podcast! It is back to school season, and across the country, kids will be exposed to vaping and e-cigarette devices from their peers. About 1-2 kids per middle school class and around 5 kids per high school classroom will be using e-cigarettes. These devices can look like pens, USBs and more, so you want your kid to be prepared when they encounter these in the classroom or in the school yard or on the bus.
The American Lung Association has released a very helpful guide on how to talk to kids 10 and over about vaping and e-cigarettes, and I walk through it today on the podcast so you can be prepared!
So what should you be doing?
1- Do you have a kid in your life 10 and up? Go to talkaboutvaping.org and talk to other important grownups in their lives about having the Vape Talk.
2- Read the “Get the Facts” guide from the ALA. If you want more details on the specifics of e-cigarettes, listen to the “Gambling with your lungs” episode from Dr. Jeff Gotts.
3- Read the ALA’s Vaping Conversation guide, and practice having a vape conversation with teens in your life. Share how important this is with the #DotheVapeTalk. Help your kids manage peer pressure with assistance from the University of Michigan.
4- If you want to get involved on the policy side, listen to the “A Teen Talks Vaping” episode about tobacco retail licensing and ensure there is robust tobacco retail licensing in your community.
5- For more on the dangers of flavors and their history, especially among kids and in the black community, listen to “A Heartbreaking Trap” and “A County vs Big Tobacco.” You can learn more about the specifics of flavor dangers here.
6- Raise your voice about the importance of flavor bans, secret shopper enforcement programs and more. We all pay for the long-term health impacts of e-cigarette addiction!
