bodyH E A L T H Y

vaping: everything we know, and everything we don’tAccording to the Florida Youth Tobacco Survey’s 2018 results, 86.3 percent of youth ages 11 to 17 are committed to never smoking cigarettes. This sounds promising, but 26.3 percent of them had still tried electronic vaping and 15.7 were current users. The National Institute on Drug Abuse found that seven in 10 students in the same age group are exposed to ads from e-cigarette manufacturers. Why are teens using them, and at what cost? › By Katie McPherson

Dr. Tracey Barnett is an associate professor at the University of North Texas and associate dean for academic affairs at UNT’s School of Public Health. She is a preeminent researcher studying smoking and tobacco use among young adults.

“The cigarette trend for youth is plummeting, and it was plummeting before e-cigarettes took off, but now these are trending up,” says Barnett.

Much To LearnWhen electronic cigarettes were introduced into the market, many companies marketed them as cleaner cigarettes without tar and carcinogens. Others said they could be used to quit smoking by buying liquid to refill e-cigs with lower concentrations of nicotine over time. Most physicians say this isn’t an effective approach.

“Typically, adults who try this end up as dual users, not quitting. We have approved medicines for those who want to quit. If you wear a patch to quit smoking, you won’t be doing the habitual acts of smoking, like hand-to-mouth smoking behavior and always doing it after dinner, for example.”

Barnett explains that e-cigarette smoking sessions also last longer than traditional cigarette smokers’ do, as they don’t burn out. But because they’re so new, scientists

don’t have even 20 years’ worth of data to determine the long-term health risks.

“There is some research showing that a lot of the flavors are approved for ingesting but not for inhalation, which would be like inhaling the butter flavor on microwaveable popcorn,” she says. “It’s a whole new ballgame to know if that’s safe to breathe in. Secondly, nicotine is still addictive and does restrict blood vessels. We may see lower rates of cancer than we did with traditional cigarettes, but we may still see cardiovascular issues.”

The Duel With JUULNews headlines everywhere have covered the Food and Drug Administration’s warning issued to JUUL, one e-cigarette company whose product looks like a large flash drive and charges via USB port. It’s the model most commonly used by teens.

“One reason JUUL has taken off is that e-cigs produce a massive amount of vapor, but JUUL hardly produces any, so you can get away with using it in the movies or at school. And you’ve got kids charging it in their laptops in class,” says Barnett.

The FDA warned JUUL and other companies it may soon outlaw flavored

products that appeal to young consumers, like vanilla crème and mango.

“Cigarettes trended down because flavorings were removed by the FDA, so they were not appealing to kids anymore. But now we allow hookah and e-cigarettes to have flavors,” explains Barnett. “I’m trying to be hopeful now that the FDA has issued their warning, but the longer we wait, the farther we get down the road. We need to reduce the number of flavors, we need legislation and parents need to talk to their kids.”

Talking With Your TeensMany parents don’t realize how prevalent vaping is among students, which isn’t accidental, according to Barnett. E-cigarette companies spend their advertising dollars targeting information to younger consumers rather than older ones.

“They are investing in a new generation of nicotine addicts. It’s peers, and it’s social media. Adults don’t see it because it’s marketed on sites and Instagram pages youth follow, not adults,” Barnett says. “Kids are also affected by norms. They don’t see tobacco stores, but they do see vape shops. We as a society kind of send the message these are OK.”

In order for parents to have productive conversations with their middle and high school students, Barnett says following the accounts your child follows on social media is a great start. Next, get them thinking aloud with you.

“Take an interest in what they’re following on social media so you know what they’re seeing. They’re hearing from friends and social media [that] these things are OK, so they need to be hearing from their parents that it’s not,” she says. “Ask questions to make them start thinking

about it: ‘What do you know about JUUL? What do you know about vaping? Why is it advertised on your sites and not mine? Why do they want you instead of me? Because they can turn you into a lifetime addict.’”

She also says it’s important to share information with your children that past public health campaigns have used to make smoking seem completely unappealing.

These messages are why 86.3 percent of youth refuse to smoke traditional cigarettes, and they could work again.

“Tell kids it’s a tobacco company making these products, that it’s not something different from regular cigarettes but a new version of a bad thing. They may be safer than cigarettes, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe.”

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E-cigarette companies spend their advertising dollars targeting information to younger consumers rather than older ones.