The newest research about vaping among youth is conducted by the U.S. FDA and CDC. They show that 2.14 million high school students and 380 000 middle school students consume e-cigarettes. These results are devastating. School institutions should find ways to help teenagers quit vaping. In that way, they would save young lives from getting chronic diseases.
Vaping in schools
Adolescents and adults consider e-cigarettes less harmful than regular cigarettes and cigars. That is the reason why e-cigarettes are not prohibited in every indoor area. For example, some companies allow their employees to vape in the office. It leads students to the wrong conclusion that it is okay to vape on campus or even on school premises.
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How schools can fight back
Many schools and universities prohibited vaping on campus. They tried various methods to prevent students from vaping. Most commonly used punishment for vaping is suspension for several days. Other ways imply education classes and anonymous reporting. Some school leaders brought systems and installation devices that detect smoke. And others involved experts, doctors, parents, and even the police in their campaign against vaping.
There is a suggestion that biology, literature, or chemistry professors can assign a vaping essay. In that way, students will research and learn about horrifying information related to e-cigarettes. They should explore the substances that e-cigarettes contain. This can be achieved through academic tasks. To learn more about the dangers of vaping essay writing is a good method to get into contact with related data. Hopefully, students will realize through the research and writing process what damage e-cigs do to human health.
A constant reminder of bad influence on the health
It is a misconception that e-cigarettes are a better option for adolescents and adults than the use of traditional tobacco products. Sweet flavors of bubble gum, mint, candy, fruits, and many others can easily deceive. However, e-cigarettes also contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance. Besides that, there are volatile organic compounds and cancer-causing chemicals. There are also ultrafine particles that people usually inhale deep into the lungs, and heavy metals, such as nickel and tin.
Involving parents into discussion
Schools and universities should include parents in the fight against vaping. That implies providing lessons about the negative influence of e-cigs. Parents should be ready to talk about tobacco use and vaping with their teens. Also, they should limit the budget for their children. In that way, adolescents would have food, books, and other necessities, but not supplements for e-cigarettes.
It’s easy to conclude that parents who smoke or vape would raise teens that would probably do the same. Parents should bring a zero-tolerance vaping policy into their homes. That means that they should completely stop smoking or vaping.
Dialog with peer educators
It seems like a good idea to bring doctors and experts to explain to students how vaping can harm their health. To make things more realistic, they could show some dreadful pictures of the consequences of lung cancer. However, some teenagers will respond better if their peers talk about the bad influence of smoking and vaping. Peer-to-peer education has proven to be a very good option in the last twenty years. Schools should educate students to talk about the terrible impact and addiction of vaping. Students would probably prefer to talk about their addictive conditions with their more educated friends.
Professional help
Usually, people under pressure start consuming cigarettes, cigars, or e-cigarettes. Students are often stressed about school performance. That could be a reason for starting vaping. Anyway, schools and universities can provide professional help for teens struggling to quit vaping. That would include therapy sessions with psychologists. These experts could start teaching teenagers to deal with stress caused by school obligations. They can also talk about time management and other fields of mental health. That can prevent starting vaping and give solutions to stop vaping.
Conclusion
E-cigarettes are a relatively new product on the market. Scientists and experts are still learning and conducting research on the long-term effects of e-cigs on the human body. However, you don’t have to be an expert to conclude that nicotine, heavy metals, and other cancer-causing chemicals have no place in your lungs.
School leaders, parents, educators, and psychologists should talk in elementary schools about vaping. Children should know how smoking and vaping are bad for their physical and mental health. Don’t forget that it’s always easier to protect someone from starting than make someone quit vaping.
