Study: Majority of Young Vapers Worry About COVID-19 Risk

Research suggests youth vapers want to quit, Health District has resources available

Reno, Nev. June 24, 2020 – Nearly two-thirds of young vapers in a national survey say they are more interested in quitting now compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study by Truth Initiative.  According to the survey, 57% say there is concern of serious illness from COVID-19.

The survey, which can be found here, was taken by 1,457 people between the ages 15 and 24 in April, and 364 identified as current vapers.

“We are thankful that young people are interested in quitting e-cigarettes and we are here to offer support to them,” said Dr. Reka Danko, member of the Washoe County District Board of Health. “Quitting at any age may be difficult, but we have free resources geared specifically for youth and their loved ones.  We hope they will take advantage of these resources and we are proud of the energy and determination of this young generation.  How exciting that we have this opportunity to change lives, save lives, and decrease health complications by working together to quit e-cigarettes.” 

The 2019 Nevada Youth Risk Behavioral Survey 2019 shows 43% of high school students have used electronic vapor products. While it is too soon to know the specific impacts of the virus on people who use e-cigarettes, according to Truth Initiative there is growing evidence that vaping can harm lung and heart health overall.

The Washoe County Health District has resources available to help young people quit, including This is Quitting, a free and anonymous text message program from Truth Initiative. 

E-cigarette Quitting Resources for teens:

• https://www.becomeanex.org/
• https://truthinitiative.org/thisisquitting - A free text messaging program for anyone 13-24 years old. To sign up text: DITCHJUUL to 88709

The Truth Initiative has help for parents of a young person who vape:

• Parents can text: QUIT to 202-899-7550 to receive informational text messages from the Truth Initiative
• Web search: BecomeAnEX.org to join a supportive community and learn how to support your young person in quitting.

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The Washoe County Health District is nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board and has jurisdiction over all public health matters in Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County through the policy-making Washoe County District Board of Health. The District consists of five divisions: Administrative Health Services, Air Quality Management, Community and Clinical Health Services, Environmental Health Services and Epidemiology & Public Health Preparedness. More info can be found here.