How can we protect teens from vaping?
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Children's ViewPublished on
Children's ViewLouis Bell, MD, Chief of the Division of General Pediatrics, shares the latest in medical thinking on an important topic: e-cigarettes.
In the spring 2017 issue of this magazine, I focused this column on the rise of e-cigarette use among adolescents. For that piece, I spoke with CHOP attending physician, PolicyLab faculty member and tobacco-control expert Brian Jenssen, MD, MSHP, who bemoaned vaping’s growing popularity in light of its unknown health risks. But he seemed hopeful that the Food and Drug Administration would step in and effectively regulate the vaping industry to protect our youth.
Fast-forward to today: Despite near-daily headlines showing the clear health harms of these products, e-cigarette use among teens has risen even higher, to epidemic levels. According to recent data, more than one in four high school students reports current e-cigarette use, and many middle school students are also using these devices. Millions of teens are addicted to vaping.
What has led to this dramatic rise in use? Tobacco companies have taken over the vaping industry and are using the same marketing tactics they once used to sell cigarettes, says Dr. Jenssen. Originally marketed to help adults quit smoking traditional cigarettes (with little evidence to support that claim), e-cigarettes come in fruity flavors and are intentionally marketed to appeal to teens.
It is urgent to take action now to prevent the same life-threatening impact cigarettes have had, says Dr. Jenssen. He and his team at PolicyLab are working to:
I asked Dr. Jenssen what concerned parents and caretakers can do to protect teens. His advice:
Working together, we can reduce all forms of tobacco use among the youth in our communities.