Reducing Vaping Among Youth and Young Adults

Course overview

Vaping among youth has emerged as a significant public health concern. E-cigarette use has increased rapidly over the past decade and remains more prevalent among adolescents than traditional cigarette use. Youth vaping is associated with a range of health and safety risks. Vaping products may contain potentially harmful substances, and nicotine exposure during adolescence can negatively affect brain development, including attention, learning, and memory, and can lead to addiction. In addition, vaping may contribute to respiratory and other physical health concerns. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has prepared the guide, Reducing Vaping Among Youth and Young Adults, to provide mental health clinicians, including social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists, with the resources needed to reduce and prevent vaping among youth and young adults. The learning material begins with a description of the prevalence of vaping in youth, as well as the related health effects and safety concerns. It reviews the challenges to the prevention of youth vaping and examines evidence-based intervention strategies targeted at individuals, schools, and communities, detailing several successful programs and their outcomes at each of these levels. Key considerations for implementing programs and policies to reduce vaping are discussed. The learning material concludes with an overview of several types of evaluation processes and associated outcome measures needed to determine the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing and preventing this disturbing trend. Clinicians can use this information to inform efforts to reduce vaping among youth and young adults and to support the selection, implementation, and evaluation of prevention strategies.