Press Release:
To spring into better health outcomes, Tobacco-Free Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming Counties (TF-GOW) are encouraging teens to “Drop the Vape” and stop smoking all types of tobacco products.
Among high school students In New York State, nearly 1 in 5 (18.7 percent) reported vaping nicotine compared to a record low of about 1 in 50 (2.1 percent) who reported smoking cigarettes in 2022. There is some evidence that current vaping among youth could lead to future cigarette use.
“Research shows that young people who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future,” says Brittany Bozzer, Reality Check Youth Outreach Coordinator at TF-GOW. “It’s important that we do everything we can now to protect the health of our community’s young people. This is our mission at Tobacco-Free GOW and we invite parents, health care providers teachers, and all those who work with and care about youth to join us.”
DropTheVape is a free text-based youth and young adult vaping cessation service for smokers aged 13-24 provided by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH). The service is evidence-based and was developed by the Truth Initiative® with input from young people who wanted to quit vaping.
“With findings showing that over half of young e-cigarette users want to quit and many have tried, it is more important than ever to promote resources and tools that will help young people successfully quit vaping,” says Julie Calvert, Community Outreach Coordinator at TF-GOW.
This program makes it easier to stop. Any New York State resident in the targeted age bracket can text “DropTheVape” to 88709. Enrollees in the program receive interactive daily text messages tailored to their sign-up date or their target quit date, should they choose to set one. Messages include encouragement, motivation, tips, coping strategies, and exercise to help build their belief that they CAN quit.
To date the initiative has helped more than 600,000 young people nationally on their journey to quit vaping. The program also directs users to the NYS Smokers’ Quitline at 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487), or http://www.nysmokefree.com which provides free and confidential quit coaching for people who vape or smoke, and free starter kits of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to eligible New Yorkers to help them break their dependence on smoking or vaping tobacco.
NYSDOH and the NYS Education Department are working together to provide materials in English and Spanish to help young people quit vaping. The free materials are available here to view, download, and print. You can also contact Brittany Bozzer at (716) 254-1540 or brittany.bozzer@roswellpark.org to get printed materials.
