NYS Department of Health Develops Quit Vaping Materials for Schools
BINGHAMTON, NY - The New York State Department of Health continues to work to reduce vaping among young people. A much larger percentage of youth and young adults use e-cigarettes compared to older adults. Across New York State, 18.7 percent of high schoolers vaped in 2022. In 2023, approximately 10% of Broome and Tioga students reported vaping in the past 30 days, according to the Prevention Needs Assessment Survey and the Community-Level Youth Development Evaluation Survey, conducted by the Broome County Prevention Coalition and the Tioga County Advocacy, Support, and Prevention Coalition.
A 2022 national survey of youth who vape found that more than half of respondents intend to quit. The Department has developed posters, palm cards, and rack cards for middle schools and high schools/young adults, in both English and Spanish, to promote This is Quitting, a free, confidential text-message service, and the New York State Smokers' Quitline. Tobacco-Free Broome and Tioga, a grantee of the Advancing Tobacco-Free Communities grant is a local partner that can provide these materials to local school districts.
E-cigarettes are by far the most used tobacco product by high school students in New York State. Among high school students, nearly 1 in 5 (18.7 percent) reported vaping nicotine compared to a record low of about 1 in 50 (2.1 percent) who reported smoking cigarettes in 2022. There is some evidence that current vaping among youth could lead to future cigarette use.
This is Quitting is a free, anonymous text message cessation service designed specifically for young people 13-24. This is Quitting, is evidence-based, and was developed by Truth Initiative with input from young people who want to quit vaping. The messages show the benefits and challenges of quitting, to help young people feel motivated, inspired, and supported throughout their quitting process. To date, the initiative has helped more than 600,000 young people nationally on their journey to quit vaping. Young people can join This is Quitting by texting “DropTheVape” to 88709.
