Vaping seems to be the new trend among kids. To them it’s harmless and besides, everyone else is doing it. However, what they think is fun could lead to long term addiction and other health consequences.

“Early exposure can affect their mental health, cognitive ability and behavior,” said Trevor Warner, Communications Manager for the Davis County Health Department (DCHD). “There are resources like My Life My Quit for youth and young adults and their parents or guardians to support youth in their journey to stop or not start.”

Findings from the 2021 Student Health and Risk Prevention (SHARP) Statewide Survey show that Davis County is actually doing alright compared to the rest of the state, he said. “Only 5.6% of students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 said they had used e-cigarettes or vaped in the last 30 days. That’s a lower average overall than the State of Utah and the U.S. We’re doing pretty well.”

Warner attributes some of that to more education and messaging. “There’s better education than 10 years ago,” he said. “Messages have to be more sensational, that’s how this generation sees things so it has to pack a punch.”

They’ve been seeing these messages since they were two feet tall, said Warner. “It’s finally hitting home to them, their parents, guardians and other adults in their lives.”

Kristen O’Flarity, Bureau Manager, Community Health Services, DCHD works with compliance of retailers who sell the products. “There are two types,” she said. “There are the general retailers such as gas stations and grocery stores and then there are the tobacco and vape shops.”

The compliance check program works with law enforcement to visit all the stores to make sure they don’t try to sell to underage youth, said O’Flarity. “We work with retailers all year round. The onus is on them to train their employees and make sure they are taking it seriously.”

O’Flarity said their main goal is to prevent youth from having access to tobacco products and holding retailers accountable by carding and not selling to underage youth. “There are 125 retailers in Davis County. We visit a city every day and check them all.”

Part of the check is having a youth attempt to buy the products, she said. “They are not allowed to lie about their age but they give them their ID or driver’s license. If they refuse the sale they pass.”

There's an officer waiting outside who comes in if they complete the sale, O’Flarity said. “They supervise the whole thing. We recruit primarily youth council members and some staff’s children who are 15-18 years old. They are paid a small stipend but a lot of them just want to help be a part of the initiative.”

It’s primarily for cessation and to promote quitting in adults and young adults, she said. “It comes down to mental health. It’s used as a coping mechanism and it’s an accessible coping mechanism, especially if other kids their age are doing it. It starts there.”

The public thinks e-cigarettes aren’t as nasty as cigarettes, said O’Flarity. “We don’t know what the long term effects will be. It’s still nicotine and that’s addictive. You’re actually inhaling micro metals from the electronic mechanism that e-cigarettes produce. Those are toxins that you’re inhaling into your lungs.”

Nicotine is addictive, she said. “Especially to a developing brain. It sets up pathways for long term addiction.” 

For some when they’re first starting out with nicotine they think it feels like it’s helping with anxiety, said O’Flarity. “It really makes it worse.”

Based on the SHARP data vaping is relatively low in Davis County, she said. “We’re heading in the right direction. Hopefully it keeps trending downward.”

The focus is prevention as a whole, O’Flarity said. “There are what we call protective factors. Conditions that shape youth to more likely be healthy than unhealthy. Those with a connection in the community and involved are less likely to vape.”

Being on the soccer team or football team, etc. or giving community service decreases the chances of vaping, she said. “It sets them up for good health behaviors.”