This past Wednesday, K-State’s Living Well Wednesday series kicked off with caution against e-cigarettes. This topic has become extremely prevalent since I began as the Family and Community Wellness agent in June, so I am excited to share the great insight of Donna Gerstner who gave this past week’s Live Well Wednesday presentation.
Consider:
· 60.4% of students who use e-cigarettes – also known as vaping – on a regular basis have reported symptoms of depression, compared to 29.1% of those who have never used e-cigarettes.
· 42.5% of those who use e-cigarettes are more likely to self-harm; 42% plan on it; 37.5% will attempt self-harm.
· 8 out of 10 youth who use e-cigarettes reported additional substance abuse, including alcohol and marijuana.
“So you see that it’s really scary that youth are using vapes because it causes suicidal behavior,” said Gerstner, who coordinates grants aimed at chronic disease risk reduction and e-cigarette prevention.
In Kansas, more than 48% of high school students have tried e-cigarettes and 22% are currently users, according to the state’s Division of Public Health surveys.
Health officials say tobacco use among youth, including vaping, has negative consequences that ultimately cause more than 60,000 Kansans under age 18 to die prematurely from smoking.
“The tobacco industry is creating vaping products that appeal to young people,” Gerstner said. “This includes vaping pens that look like USB drives, ballpoint pens, watches and even vape wear, such as a hoodie where the vape comes out of the drawstrings.”
Vaping gained popularity in part because youth believed it was less harmful than smoking, was less expensive and many e-cigarettes came in various flavors.
But, Gerstner says, don’t be fooled by the lack of smoke produced from e-cigarettes. The cloud produced by e-cigarettes may appear to be water vapor, but in actuality it is a harmful aerosol of poisons that actually sticks to surfaces and creates a phenomenon known as third-hand smoke.
“Think of hairspray…what does it do? It doesn’t go away when you spray it on your hair,” Gerstner said.
“When somebody is vaping in an area, they leave chemicals on nearby surfaces, then dust reacts to other chemicals in the environment to form toxic chemicals. That’s third-hand smoke. These are potentially harmful chemicals that people and animals can be exposed to through the respiratory system. Small children are especially at-risk for third-hand smoke exposure because they always put everything in their mouth.”
In Garden City, Gerstner has been involved in efforts to pass a city and county ordinance that banned the sale of vaping products to teens. Currently, a group is working to change a school policy to eliminate a first-offense suspension for youth caught with vaping products, which only serves to give the opportunity for youth to stay home and vape there.
“Instead,” she said, “we need to give those youth the tools that they can use to help themselves.”
“We also have a statewide youth program called RESIST to fight against the tobacco industry’s manipulative marketing tactics,” Gerstner said. “Local chapters work to educate their peers and advocate for local policies that restrict access to tobacco products.”
Gerstner spoke at length on the topic during the K-State Research and Extension online series, Living Well Wednesday. Her presentation, titled ‘It’s Not So Kool to JUUL,’ is available to view online.
The Living Well Wednesday series continues Nov. 1 with a presentation titled "Teen Stress and Anxiety: How Worried do Parents Need to Be?" The series is free, but those interested are required to register online to receive a link where the session can be accessed.
Karissa Winkel is the Family and Community Wellness Agent with K-State Research and Extension, Cottonwood District. You may reach her at 620-793-1910 or [email protected].