Educators, other experts aim to build momentum in fight against youth vaping

十多年来，电子烟的阴霾笼罩着越来越多的美国孩子. Now, with a new school year underway, 教育工作者和健康专家在进入最新一轮的电子烟之战时，正在取得最近的进展.

Research into the health impact of electronic cigarettes is still unfolding, but ill effects are beginning to be revealed.

有证据表明，现在吸电子烟的青少年以后可能会吸烟——这是一个令人不安的发现，几十年来，在减少青少年吸烟方面取得了重大进展. A scientific statement 美国心脏协会的一份报告称，使用电子烟的人患哮喘的风险可能会增加. Using e-cigarettes also can lead to respiratory disease, stiffer arteries, higher blood pressure and trouble sleeping. And even exposure to secondhand vapor – being around someone vaping and inhaling the aerosol – may pose dangers.

在年轻人的环境中，电子烟几乎是不可避免的，这一事实加剧了这些担忧.

In a 2021 national survey, 近60%的中学生和高中生报告说，他们第一次尝试电子烟是因为一个朋友在吸电子烟. And friends were the most common way youth accessed e-cigarettes. Family members were another common source.

Helping kids understand vaping risks

Jackie Michalski, the class assistant principal at Shenendehowa High School East in Clifton Park, New York, said she saw a decline in teen vaping locally during the 2021-22 school year.

她说:“随着越来越多的人意识到这一点，这种情况肯定有所减少。.

她和她的同事们一直在他们的学生中推动这种意识的增长. 学校为家长和学生举办了信息发布会，强调使用电子烟和其他烟草产品的潜在健康和心理危害.

In one session, 当地执法部门建议父母注意孩子的态度或情绪变化，以及如何发现家里吸毒的迹象. People who vape may also be thirstier and have more nosebleeds. 或者父母可能会闻到一种他们无法识别的气味，即使他们从未见过容易隐藏的产品, which don't produce smoke like traditional cigarettes.

Meanwhile, for students caught using e-cigarettes at school, the response has begun to shift from punitive to supportive. While in the past a one-day suspension was common, 教育工作者通常会让家长参与进来，把学生介绍给辅导员，让他们与学生见面，并帮助家长了解成瘾产品和帮助年轻人戒烟的有效策略. The counselors "are part of the team approach we have," Michalski said.

Shenendehowa高中还试点了一个项目，让被抓到吸电子烟的学生阅读有关该主题的沙巴足球体育平台文章和视频，然后写一篇短文，阐述他们学到的东西，以及如何更好地处理同伴压力等问题.

"The ultimate goal is to change the behavior," Michalski said. "We want to teach the student that vaping has major health effects, and it can lead to addiction and potentially the use of other drugs in the future."

Initiatives far and wide

改变行为也是几个国家反电子烟倡议的目标, which are demonstrating an impact in research so far. These include:

• smokeSCREEN. Designed by researchers at Yale University, smokeSCREEN 一款电子游戏能够教育孩子们关于电子烟和其他烟草产品的危害吗, with the goal of helping them to avoid use altogether.
• This is Quitting. Developed by the public health nonprofit Truth Initiative, This is Quitting 每天自动向13到24岁的人发送已经尝试或成功戒掉电子烟的同伴发来的短信.
• CATCH My Breath. Developed at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, CATCH My Breath 提供家长教育和课堂课程，包括小组讨论, goal setting and group activities. A digital portal provides schools with materials, some free and some for a fee, including teaching guides, presentations and posters designed for different age groups.

In addition, the FDA has teamed up with a publishing company to create a range of anti-vaping messaging resources for educators.

波士顿大学快速推进的发现阻止了青少年电子烟中心的爆发, which is funded by the AHA, 其中一个项目专注于开发和测试一种虚拟现实干预手段，以帮助高中生避免或戒掉电子烟. The project's principal investigator, Belinda Borrelli, 她的团队与高中生进行了广泛的合作，了解他们对当前戒烟计划的看法，以及如何设计吸引人、有效的新计划. 该团队正在利用其数据开发一种最先进的虚拟现实干预手段，用于学校管理.

“重要的是，干预不会让人觉得‘学院派’，也要让青少年参与进来，不管他们戒烟的动机是什么。," she said.

Anti-vaping efforts by parents, educators, advocates and public health officials appeared to get a boost in June, when the FDA ordered Juul Labs to stop selling and distributing its products, citing a lack of data about potential health risks. That action has been temporarily put on hold administratively and in court.

If Juul products, popular with teens, end up being removed from the market, it's encouraging news, said Michalski. "If we could make e-cigarettes less accessible, I think it would help."

Strong regulation at the federal, 国家和社区一级是减少使用各类尼古丁产品的重要工具, said Dr. 波士顿大学青少年电子烟研究中心的首席研究员兼主任内奥米·汉伯格说.

“我们需要考虑整体的公共卫生监管战略，以减少可燃卷烟的使用. 1 goal and limit or stop" all nicotine product use among youth, she said.

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