According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, nicotine exposure during adolescence can harm brain development which continues until age 25, impact learning, memory and attention, as well as increase risks of addiction to other drugs in the future.
In an effort to better the local youth community, the Anderson County Health Department recently introduced its anti-vaping campaign as an effort to stop the use of e-cigarettes among youth.
Patrick Mason, Clinical Nurse with the Anderson County Health Department, stated the anti-vaping campaign came about as a desire to reach out to those with and around the community and tackle topics they felt were most important.
Mason stated the Anderson County Schools Superintendent Sheila Mitchell and other school officials reached out to the health department to gain insight on how to reach the youth regarding E-cigarette use that is an ongoing problem seen affecting students everywhere.
“After hearing about their struggle, how could we not jump in and help? We applied for a federal grant for vaping and got to work,” Mason stated.
They met with the school resource coordinator and assistant superintendent to discuss methods to reach the youth.
Since then, representatives from the health department have been going to school events, such as basketball games and parent community activities, to spread information to everyone about vaping.
They have been working with the school system to provide evidence-based educational programs that can be used to reduce vaping among youth and to prevent youth from vaping in the first place.
Most recently, the health department made visits to both Anderson County Middle School and Anderson County High School during all lunch periods to educate students about the negative impacts of vaping on young people.
Within these visits they have also made a point to speak directly with students to gain insight from the youth and provide insight to help further the campaign.
To encourage ACS students to learn more about the dangers of vaping and encourage them to join their anti-vaping campaign, the Health Department handed out custom bracelets stating they “choose not to vape” as well as pamphlets with information to read and hold on to.
Looking into the future for their anti-vaping campaign, the Health Department plans to extend their outreach with youth through school events and educational seminars.
In addition to this, they plan to continue to work as a liaison with the school system to provide educational programs that may prove helpful to school resource officers and faculty.
The health department’s overall goal in this ongoing campaign is to see a reduction in E-cigarette use among students.
The Anderson County Health Department asks people to follow along with them as they continue their anti-vaping campaign to bring awareness to the dangers of vaping among the youth of Anderson County.