Vaping Prevention Program to Empower Kentucky Youth Receives Continued Funding

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 13, 2022) — An revolutionary College of Kentucky program that gives tobacco use prevention providers to youth, households and neighborhood members throughout Kentucky has obtained continued funding from the Kentucky Cupboard for Well being and Household Companies.  

The research-based program, often known as #iCANendthetrend, was developed by Melinda Ickes, Ph.D., UK School of Schooling school within the Division of Kinesiology and Well being Promotion, and school college students who served as tobacco-free ambassadors.  

Whereas cigarette smoking within the U.S. has declined in recent times, the variety of youth utilizing merchandise akin to electronic-cigarettes (e-cigarettes) continues to be trigger for concern, Ickes stated.  

In line with the newest Kentucky information, in 2021, 17% of tenth graders and 24% of twelfth graders surveyed reported previous 30-day use of e-cigarettes or “vaping.” Sadly, prevalence in Kentucky continues to be increased than the nationwide common, reinforcing the necessity for youth prevention efforts, Ickes stated. 

“Given a continued dedication to prevention and schooling on this space, college students report higher notion of threat related to vaping than they did a number of years in the past. Nevertheless, they don’t at all times understand the influence on their psychological well being, the danger for dependence, or the place they will go for assist to give up if they’re already utilizing. These merchandise are establishing future generations for a lifetime of well being dangers if we don’t intervene now,” Ickes stated. 

The #iCANendthetrend program is a “peer-to-peer” mannequin, connecting elementary (beginning in fourth grade), center, and highschool college students with college-age facilitators. The school college students assist construct consciousness of the risks of e-cigarette use by connecting with the youthful college students. They reveal the associated fee related to nicotine dependence and assist them establish methods they’re focused by the tobacco trade. Integrating skill-building and hands-on actions additionally helps college students to realize refusal and quitting methods. 

The #iCANendthetrend program has empowered greater than 10,000 Kentucky youth and has been acknowledged nationally. This system has obtained an amazing constructive response, with over 90% of all college students reached reporting they preferred having school facilitators current and 87% indicating this system was useful in empowering them to forestall vaping amongst their associates or of their faculty.  

“Whereas elevated consciousness and data is a crucial first step in lowering youth vaping, we all know that youth involvement in tobacco prevention and management has a widespread influence, together with social norms and environmental adjustments,” Ickes stated. 

Thus, this system has grown in recent times to incorporate a Youth Advisory Board, consisting of high-school advocates from throughout Kentucky in addition to a partnership program with undergraduate college students often known as PEERS (Prevention, Schooling, Empowerment & Sources for College students). This system additionally presents skilled growth alternatives to supply schooling and assets for others who wish to assist youth tobacco prevention.  

A latest skilled growth session provided to the general public, offered by peer-led school facilitators, included content material on the present e-cigarette panorama, how e-cigarettes influence psychological well being, how faculties can assist college students who’re already utilizing e-cigarettes, dialog tricks to talk about e-cigarettes in addition to methods to construct sustainable efforts in faculties and communities to cut back tobacco use.  

Along with well being schooling and outreach efforts, the UK school and college students conduct and share analysis on the effectiveness of prevention and empowerment packages by quite a lot of analysis strategies, akin to focus teams and surveys. A number of of the #iCANendthetrend workforce members might be attending and presenting on the Nationwide Convention on Tobacco or Well being in New Orleans this summer time.  

To assist youth who wish to give up, Ickes recommends relations and different mentors in college students’ lives:  

• let youth know they will at all times come to them for assist; 

• ask what makes it tough for them to give up and speak by methods to assist overcome these challenges; and 

• set a constructive instance by being tobacco-free. 

To study extra about #iCANendthetrend or to debate partnerships to convey this system to different states, contact Ickes at melinda.ickes@uky.edu or icanendthetrend@uky.edu. 

Discover each undergraduate and graduate levels in well being promotion to study extra about careers serving to others dwell wholesome lives. The well being promotion program, housed within the UK School of Schooling Division of Kinesiology and Well being Promotion, focuses on human well being and wellness, program planning in well being schooling and empowering others to guide more healthy lives.