Vaping – Community Health Council of Lebanon County

One in four Pennsylvania high school students report using an e-cigarette, or vaping, in the past month.

What IS vaping, anyway?

Vaping is the act of inhaling an aerosol produced by an electronic vapor device, when it heats up some type of liquid. Vaping devices go by different names: some call it “JUULING” (pronounced “Jeweling,” named after a particular brand); vapes; or e-cigarettes/e-cigs. The contents of most vaping liquids (e-liquids) include nicotine, flavoring, and other chemicals. Although many substances can be vaped, teens and young adults most commonly vape flavored e-liquids with nicotine or marijuana (THC). Youth vaping poses significant health risks, yet many kids and their parents falsely believe vaping is safe. In fact, vaping among students is a health crisis (Partnership to End Addiction, 2020).

Vaping devices can look like everyday items!

National Vaping Highlights:

Vaping is a nationwide crisis. In 2021, approximately, 2.55 million (9.3%) students reported current (past 30-day) use of a tobacco product: 2.06 million (13.4%) high school students and 470,000 (4.0%) middle school students. (National Youth Tobacco Survey, 2021)

Of those using different types of tobacco products, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product, cited by 2.06 million (7.6%) middle and high school students.

The most common reason for first trying e-cigarettes cited by students who ever used them was “a friend used them” (57.8%). Among current e-cigarette users, the most commonly cited reasons for current use were “I am feeling anxious, stressed, or depressed” (43.4%).

Rising vaping rates among lesbian, gay, and bisexual young people outpace peers. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth and young adults use and try e-cigarettes at a higher rate than their heterosexual peers (Truth Initiative, 2022).

In Lebanon County:

Among middle and high school students surveyed in Lebanon county, the 30-day use rate of e-cigarettes and other vapor products was 11.7% (compared to 13.0% at the state level).
Vaping among Lebanon County 6^th graders has steadily increased since 2017 (from 2.0% in 2017, to 2.3% in 2019, to 2.5% in 2021).
17.1% of 10^th graders surveyed reported 30-day use of vaping products (compared to 16.2% at the state level).
23.9% of 12^th graders in the county reported 30-day use of vaping products (compared to 23.7% across the state).

These statistics and more can be found in the 2021 PAYS report for Lebanon County.

Resources

The Community Health Council Tobacco Coalition in collaboration with the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association are working locally to combat the e-cigarette epidemic.

Toolkit for Providers – End the E-cigarette Epidemic

DDAP’s State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW) has been working to develop two infographics related to vaping. Each includes data on vaping-related Instagram posts with a tie in to the importance of building media literacy skills.

The infographics are attached in two formats. The png versions have a separate file for each page.