PHD offers Preventing Youth Vaping Event

It's no surprise that vaping is unsafe for kids, teens, and young adults. Vaping poses significant, but preventable, health risks for young people including addiction, damage to brain development and respiratory health, as well as increased risk of depression and anxiety. The public is invited to learn more on January 31 at 5:30 p.m. for a virtual event focused on preventing youth vaping.

Panhandle Health District has partnered with Parents Against Vaping e-cigarettes, a national advocacy and education organization, to provide the informational event with expert speakers covering topics on vaping, its effect on youth, and tips on how to have a conversation with your child about the dangers of vaping. PAVe is a grassroots organization founded in 2018 by three moms as a response to the youth vaping epidemic.

“Our goal is not only to provide education to parents and others who work with youth, but to also inspire the formation of a PAVe chapter here in north Idaho,” Lindsey McCurdy, Youth Health Educator for vaping prevention programs at PHD said. “Vapes often contain flavor that kids find appealing. Unfortunately, they also often contain high levels of nicotine and other chemicals that are harmful to children.”

E-cigarettes, commonly called vapes, e-cigs, tank systems, or mods, are devices that heat a liquid into an aerosol that the user inhales. Just like regular cigarettes, the nicotine inside an e-cigarette is addictive. E-cigarettes can also contain chemicals linked to lung disease, volatile compounds, and heavy metals like nickel, tin, and lead. Exposure to these ingredients is harmful to the respiratory system and in youth can have a negative effect on brain development.

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, in 2018, one in five high school students reported using e-cigarettes in the past month.

“There is a common misconception that e-cigarettes are somehow safer than traditional cigarettes,” McCurdy said. “The truth is that for children, there is no safe use of products containing nicotine.”

The virtual event will feature Dr. Galiatsatos, Director of the Tobacco Treatment Clinic at Johns Hopkins Medicine and Jade Harkness, pulmonary function technician and respiratory therapist at Madison Memorial Hospital.

To find out more about how e-cigarettes are harmful to teens and to have your vape related questions answered, join the virtual event, Ask The Experts: Youth Vaping, Health Harms and How to speak with your child on January 31, 2023 at 5:30 p.m.

Register for the virtual event at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NOvQefZVSrO2TLV9kinKRw?fbclid=IwAR3DFLamCjTdnVXcbBZi6fQzvRQ9F0xBaseWrSKImFEgftemomvEiGILFrQ