Combatting the Teen Vaping “Evil”

“It was an evil that I hadn’t faced before,” said Dr. Hassan Nemeh, the surgical director of Thoracic Organ Transplant at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. In coverage by The Detroit News, after Dr. Nemeh transplanted two lungs into a teenage boy who was going to die from vaping, he added that the inflammation and scarring in the 17-year-old’s lungs were “nothing that I have ever seen” across 20 years of similar surgeries.

E-cigarettes have been tied to 42 fatalities and more than 2,000 lung injuries in the U.S., according to the CDC, and youth use has continued to rise despite federal law that prohibits sales to those under 18—regulations and bans are not enough.

ACT now to combat this crisis:

  • Thorough Assessment of Risks & Behaviors to identify youth who are vaping, what triggers their nicotine usage (peer influence, stress, addiction) and what might motivate them to make a change.
  • Evidence-based, Tailored Risk Coaching & Action Plan to support reduction and cessation in youth.
  • Continued Engagement to help youth stay on track. Facing vape culture in school can be just as difficult—if not more difficult—than quitting an addiction to nicotine, so youth need continued support beyond a one-time intervention.

But how can you deliver all of this in a way that still fits the workflow of your school, organization or clinic? Answer: Adolescent Counseling Technology for Nicotine & Tobacco (ACT-NT). ACT-NT is an interactive, evidence-based assessment and counseling system designed for the unique needs of youth using nicotine products – including vaping, cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco. The secure, web-based ACT-NT program is designed to be delivered in both clinical and non-clinical settings (e.g., in schools, physician offices, or youth-serving organizations) and includes all three critical components listed above delivered by technology.

Developed in part with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and incorporating guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ACT-NT was created to provide an engaging, web-based platform designed uniquely for youth, while ensuring quality, evidence-based cessation coaching that works with professionals—as a stand-alone tool or with professional discussion—optimizing their time to properly address nicotine and tobacco risk. Using science-based communication techniques proven to be most effective in adolescent behavior change, the ACT-NT technology identifies which nicotine products a youth is using, how often and why.

But does it work? Yes!

ACT-NT data shows that among youth reporting vaping and that used ACT-NT there was a:

  • 34% decrease in the use of nicotine products after 1 month
  • 44% reduction after 3 months AND
  • 50% of youth took steps to reduce or quit using

Interested in learning more about how ACT-NT can help you reduce youth vaping?

Check out the recording of our recent webinar, Taking ACTion on Teen Vaping, or contact us today!