New Program Aims to Reduce Youth Vaping in Central Arkansas

Photo by Russell Cothren

Sociologist Shaun Thomas and social work researcher Johanna Thomas will lead an anti-vaping program in Central Arkansas.

In Arkansas, 44% of high school seniors said they have tried vaping, according to the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.

“The numbers in Arkansas mirror what we’re seeing nationally. It’s reaching epidemic levels,” said Shaun Thomas, a professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology.

Shaun Thomas and Johanna Thomas, a professor in the School of Social Work, hope to reduce youth vaping with a program for pre-teens and teenagers in Central Arkansas. Working with Arisa Health, the researchers will offer the CATCH My Breath program to approximately 200 juveniles in nine Central Arkansas counties. The CATCH program has been used in thousands of schools across the country to reduce vaping and other uses of nicotine. The two-year project is being funded with a $405,702 grant from the office of Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin.

“As the father of teenagers, I feel a personal connection to the various pressures our young people face in today’s digital world,” Griffin said. “Understanding how kids are being steered toward unhealthy habits and how we can use similar tactics to drive healthy choices is important to all Arkansans.”

Young people often assume that vaping is safer than smoking. Vaping, however, often has more health risks. The dangers of nicotine are well known. But the “juice” used in vape pens is unregulated and often contains harmful chemicals.

“We’re seeing kids who are developing lung disease and respiratory disease. With smoking, that takes a while. Kids are dying,” Johanna Thomas said.

Cigarette use has declined partially due to the social pressure against smoking. Vaping does not carry the same stigma among young people.

The CATCH program educates pre-teen and teenagers about the health dangers of vaping and other products with nicotine. It shows them strategies to avoid dangerous situations. And it helps them decode the strategies marketers used to sell them smokeless cigarettes.

“It’s not always just about changing behaviors after they have already started. If we can get to them before they pick up vaping for the first time, that’s even better,” Shuan Thomas said.

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