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E-cigarette use among youth has quickly become the new epidemic our nation is facing. The adolescent brain is uniquely sensitive to the addictive nature of nicotine, potentially setting our youth up for a lifetime of nicotine addiction. Further exacerbating the problem is the multitude of enticing e-cigarette flavors, combined with targeted advertising to youth. For these reasons, it is not surprising that 1 in 4 youth report using e-cigarettes in the last month. What is our role as pediatricians, parents, or teachers to help mitigate this epidemic and its potentially devastating consequences?
Resources for Practitioners
General E-cigarette Information for Physicians
E-Cigarette Information (AAP facts and resources)
E-Cigarettes and Similar Devices (AAP policy statement; for more in-depth information; 10 pages; pdf)
Health Care Professionals: Educate Your Young Patients About the Risks of E-cigarettes (CDC fact sheet; with guidelines for clinicians on how to educate youth about the risks of e-cigarettes; 4 pages; pdf)
Handouts on General E-Cigarette Information for Physicians
E-Cigarettes and Vaping: What Clinicians Need to Know (AAP fact sheet; includes basic facts on e-Cigarettes; 2 pages; pdf)
Clinical Tools for Supporting Youth Tobacco Cessation
Youth Tobacco Cessation: How to ACT (Ask-Counsel-Treat)
in 2-3 Minutes (AAP flowchart; introduces the 'Ask-Counsel-Treat' (ACT) model to minimize time and burden on the pediatric health clinician and maximize the patient's chances of a successful quit. Pediatric health clinicians have a collective responsibility to ACT to identify youth who use tobacco and connect them with the resources they need for a successful quit)
Supporting Youth who are Addicted to Nicotine: Advice for Pediatricians (AAP fact sheet; information on how to make a successful quit plan, follow-up, and coding resources; 1 page; pdf)
Nicotine Dependence Screening Tools for Youth:
Hooked on Nicotine Checklist (AAP questionnaire; 10 questions to ask youth on vaping to determine addiction; 1 page; pdf)
The Four-Item E-cigarette Dependence Scale for Assessing Adolescent E-cigarette Nicotine Dependence (AAP questionnaire; 1 page; pdf)
Modified Version of the Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire (National Institutes of Health)
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and Adolescent Patients (AAP fact sheet; for clinicians to understand NRT and make decisions about using it with patients; includes nicotine dependence screening tools; 5 pages; pdf)
How to Use Nicotine Gum (smokefree.gov/veterans; 30-second video on the "chew and park" method for NRT gum)
Tobacco Prevention Toolkit (Stanford Medicine toolkit; theory-based and evidence-informed resources created by educators, parents, and researchers aimed at preventing middle and high school students' use of tobacco and nicotine)
CATCH My Breath (CATCH.org vaping prevention program; evidence-based and free to U.S. schools; 4 lessons per age group; 30-40 minutes per lesson; suitable for ages 10-18, grades 5-12)
The Real Cost of Vaping (Scholastic lessons, activities and more; cross-curricular resources have students analyze informational text, collect and present data, and evaluate marketing messages; suitable for grades 6-8 and 9-12; available in Spanish)
Advocacy/Policy Spotlight
AAP Statement on FDA Authorization of First E-Cigarette Product
The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) decision yesterday to authorize the Vuse Solo e-cigarette to be legally sold in the United States is highly concerning. It is the first e-cigarette product authorized by FDA and is alarmingly the second most popular e-cigarette brand used by children. It's FDA's job to protect the health and safety of children, but with products such as this on store shelves, pediatricians are greatly concerned that young people will continue to fall victim to nicotine addiction...
CDC National Youth Tobacco Survey 2021: E-Cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students
Since 2014, e-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youths. In 2020, an estimated 3.6 million (13.1%) U.S. middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes within the past 30 days (current use); more than 80% of current users reported flavored e-cigarette use. Whereas the most commonly used device type in 2019 and 2020 was a prefilled pod or cartridge, disposable e-cigarette use increased significantly during this time among youths who currently used e-cigarettes in middle school (from 3.0% to 15.2%) and high school (from 2.4% to 26.5%).
Download this graphic: Become a Quitter (jpeg)
Resources for Parents & Youth
General e-Cigarette Information for Patients/Parents
THE FACTS on E-cigarette use Among Youth and Young Adults (CDC resource for parents; evidence-based facts on e-cigarettes and youth; also available in Spanish)
Truth Initiative (non-profit public health organization committed to making tobacco use a thing of the past)
Parents Against Vaping (PAVe) (grassroots organization founded by three moms in response to youth vaping epidemic)
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (advocacy organization working to reduce tobacco use and its deadly consequences in the U.S. and around the world)
Resources for Parents (Protect Kids, a project of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids; facts, teen stories on addiction, and tips for talking to your kids)
NM TUPAC (NM DOH's Tobacco Use Prevention and Control program; information and data on tobacco use and prevention; QUIT NOW promotional materials; available in Spanish)
Handouts on E-cigarettes for Parents
Parent Primer (AAP; information for parents on e-cigarettes and vaping, and tips for talking with teens; 2 pages; pdf)
E-Cigarettes and Vaping: What Parents Need to Know (AAP; 1 page; pdf)
How to Talk to Your Kids About Vaping (American Lung Association; helps parents start the conversation with their children about the dangers of vaping; 3 pages; pdf)
Tobacco Cessation Resources for Parents/Youth
Become a Smokefree Teen (National Institutes of Health; tools and tips for youth; also available in Spanish)
This is Quitting (Truth Initiative; text message-based cessation support service for teens)
The Ex Program (Truth Initiative; tobacco cessation program for organizations)
Tobacco Endgame: You're the Cure (American Heart Association; videos of teens sharing their stories)
Documentary and Education/Prevention Campaign
NM VAPE (Christopher Productions; a New Mexico-based campaign to help youth and parents address the dangers of e-cigarettes; includes a documentary as well as other tools created by youth for youth)
Video clip: "Flavor Dangers" (a segment from VAPE, a documentary by Emmy-award winning Christopher Productions. Go to https://nmvape.info/ for more information on this and other videos and the education/prevention campaign.)