Vaping
Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the aerosol, often referred to as vapor, produced by an e-cigarette or similar device. It’s become more popular among teens than regular cigarettes, especially given that vaping devices can be used for anything from flavors like mango, mint or tutti frutti, to flavorings containing nicotine or THC, the chemical compound in marijuana that produces the high.
Vaping is unsafe for children, teens and young adults as nicotine is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development, which continues into the early to mid-20s. In addition, the aerosol in e-cigarettes can contain other harmful substances, such as ultrafine particles, volatile organic compounds, cancer-causing chemicals, and heavy metals such as nickel, tin and lead.
Source: CDC
Curricula / Lesson Plans
Catch My Breath Vaping Prevention Curriculum
This peer-led teaching approach empowers students with the knowledge and skills needed to make informed decisions about e-cigarettes and resist social pressures to vape. The curriculum is free to US Educators, however, some components include a fee.
E-Cigarette and Vaping Curriculum - American Academy of Pediatrics
This curriculum focuses on addressing youth E-cigarette prevention and cessation based on current evidence and best practices.
Vaping: Know the Truth
The Truth Initiative, in partnership with the American Heart Association and Kaiser Permanente, developed this curriculum to educate students about the health dangers of e-cigarette use.
Vaping: Prevention and Education: Resources for Talking with Students
Science-based, standards-mapped classroom resources created by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products to prevent vaping among middle and high school students. These cross-curricular vaping prevention resources include lesson plans, activities, infographics, and videos that help teens learn about the dangers of e-cigarette use. These resources can be used to start an open dialogue with students about vaping nicotine and help encourage a lifetime of healthy behaviors.
You and Me, Together Vape-Free (elementary, middle and high school)
The You and Me, Together Vape-Free curriculum from Stanford Medicine includes 6 lessons, each providing activities, online quiz games, and worksheets in addition to presentations, resources, and other materials aimed at addressing key factors associated with youth e-cigarette use, including changing adolescents’ attitudes towards and misperceptions about e-cigarettes; increasing their refusal skills to pulls of flavors, marketing, and social media; reducing stress and depression which have been linked to e-cigarette initiation and use; improving coping; and decreasing intentions and actual use of all e-cigarette products.
Fact Sheets
Research & Statistics
- Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey
- Connecticut SEOW Prevention Data Portal
Search, view, and access 200+ indicators relevant to substance use/misuse, mental health, suicide, gambling, and social determinants of health. Explore 30+ data sets relevant to behavioral health, each with multiple visualization capabilities, downloadable data, and metadata.
- E-Cigarettes and Vaping-Related Disease - The New England Journal of Medicine
The New England Journal of Medicine's collection of articles and other resources on
e-cigarettes and vaping-related disease, including clinical reports and commentary. - Outbreak of Lung Injury Associated with the Use of E-Cigarette, or Vaping, Products - CDC
CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state and local health departments, and other clinical and public health partners are investigating a national outbreak of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI). This page offers news, key facts, latest outbreak information, a map of reported cases, and more.
- Vaporizers, E-Cigarettes, and other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)
Vapes, vaporizers, vape pens, hookah pens, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or e-cigs), and e-pipes are some of the many terms used to describe electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). ENDS are noncombustible tobacco products.
- Youth Tobacco Use Results from the National Youth Tobacco Survey – U.S. Food & Drug Administration
See Tobacco / Nicotine for more information.