“Our HOSA chapter was approached by our high school's administration to address the problem of vaping during school hours. While researching, we found an alarming statistic claiming that from 2016 to 2018 there was a 69% increase in 8th graders vaping, compared to a 67% increase in 10th graders and a 47% increase in 12th graders (W.G Office, 2019). To put this in perspective, "550,000 middle school students currently used e-cigarettes [in the United States], including 20.7% reporting frequent use” (CDC, 2023). We were shocked to see these numbers. We emailed the middle school health teacher, who teaches all 8th graders in our district. We hoped to make change and address the dangers of vaping by providing education directly to her students.”
“When companies purposefully advertise a dangerous and addictive substance to young populations to create lifelong buyers, they are endangering students. If we offered education to our younger peers, and provided them with facts, resources, and a safe place to ask difficult questions, we could give them a reason to say no to vaping, if presented.”
“Our approach focused on education and peer to peer connection. We knew that “peer education is an effective tool for promoting healthy behaviors among adolescents” (Abdi, 2013). We created a 50-minute lesson including a slide deck, student activities, and video materials. We included time for their questions designing the lesson to be interactive and relatable. To curate feedback, we created a survey that questioned students on their learning and gave space for them to critique us. Our work is important because we want to help students make informed decisions about their health. If students are educated about the dangers of vaping, they will be more well equipped to handle situations with the presentation of vape devices and avoid the long-term health risks of vaping and nicotine addiction. We provided a wide variety of resources to use if they or someone they know are currently struggling with addiction.”
The group will host a Community Information Night on the evening of March 26th in the SHS Commons, where they invite the parents of SHS and SMS students, and the community to come learn about the dangers of vaping and how vaping and nicotine addiction currently affects their peers.
