Campaign sheds light on mental health effects of teen vaping

While many Hawaiian teens vape to cope with stress, the effects of nicotine can actually exacerbate mental health issues and negatively affect brain development.

That’s the message being shared by the state’s Department of Health through its new campaign, “Nicotine Brain Explained,” in an effort to counter decades of misleading marketing that has created the false impression that tobacco is a pain reliever.

The campaign, part of the “Escape the Vape Hawaii” series, was launched ahead of Thursday’s Great American Smokeout sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

“Studies show that nicotine use by adolescents negatively affects their brain development,” said Lola Irvin, administrator of the DOH’s Division of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “If teens already have depression or other mental health issues, vaping can make those conditions worse.”

In a survey assessing young people and vaping in Hawaii, Irvin said only a third of those who had not yet started thought it was very harmful, while less than a quarter of those who had started. had already tried thought it was harmful.

Among the misconceptions is that vaping products contain little or no nicotine, while most products sold in the United States do contain nicotine, which is highly addictive.

Additionally, a report on e-cigarette products released in March by the Federal Trade Commission found an almost 60% increase in nicotine concentration in disposable e-cigarettes between 2015 and 2018. In 2015, disposable products contained an average of 25 milligrams of nicotine. per milliliter of e-liquid, which increased to 39.5 in 2018, reinforcing their addictive power.

In cartridge e-cigarettes, which are popular among young people, nicotine concentrations were even higher, at 50 and 60 milligrams per milliliter.

“We know that many Hawaiian teens may not realize how much nicotine they can vape and how much vaping harms their overall health and well-being,” Irvin said. “The use of vaping products can complicate existing mental health issues, and a vicious cycle of nicotine withdrawal symptoms includes anxiety, depression, trouble concentrating, and sleep and mood disturbances. .

“We hope to build on the success of our previous vaping prevention campaign while focusing on educating teens and their ohana about the serious mental health risks of vaping.”

Vaping can actually increase feelings of stress over time because nicotine triggers receptors in the brain that lead to the production of cortisol, which affects how a body responds to stress. This results in an addictive loop that requires more nicotine to deal with more stress.

Nicotine also disrupts the natural balance of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin in the brain, leaving vapers unhappy. It can affect memory, make it harder to concentrate, and increase the risk of long-term mood disorders.

“It will then become this snowball effect,” Irvin said. “It will actually rewire the brain for the addiction, disrupt their balance of dopamine and serotonin, and can make them even more stressed and depressed.”

HAWAII has one of the highest rates of youth vaping nationally, with nearly 1 in 3 high school students and about 1 in 5 college students reporting being current e-cigarette users.

Most said they started smoking with flavored products, including those with fruit, mint or candy flavors that appeal to young people, prompting Hawaiian lawmakers to introduce bills banning the sale of tobacco products. flavored tobacco.

The bills have been introduced for years, without success in passing a statewide ban.

The latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2019 found that the rate of daily vaping that year more than doubled in two years. The results of the 2021 survey are expected later this year.

The DOH said the latest campaign was developed with feedback from teenagers in Hawaii to find out what would resonate with them the most. It aims to reach and educate young people in middle school and high school, aged 13 to 18 in particular.

Most young people start smoking in middle school at age 14, according to Irvin.

The campaign will take a multi-channel approach, with ads inspiring young Hawaiians to go vape-free featured on TikTok, YouTube and other social media channels that influence teens, to counter pro-vaping imagery.

The website escapethevapehi.com offers an interactive presentation of facts, such as what’s in vapes and how they harm human health. While many think vapes only contain water vapor, they do contain dangerous chemicals such as formaldehyde and metallic particles.

In addition to inflaming the airways, vaping increases the risk of chronic lung disease and lung infections caused by bacteria, such as pneumonia. A Stanford study also linked vaping among young adults to a much higher risk of contracting COVID-19 than their non-vaping peers.

The industry, meanwhile, from 2015 to 2018 more than tripled spending on e-cigarette advertising and promotion, spending more than $640 million in 2018, according to the FTC’s e-cigarette report.

Companies have spent millions on TV advertising and given discounts to retailers and wholesalers to lower the price of e-cigarette products for consumers. They have also hired celebrities, social media influencers and brand ambassadors to endorse their e-cigarette products.

In those three years, e-cigarette sales have increased more than sixfold to $2 billion, according to the FTC, and flavored e-cigarette cartridge sales have increased sevenfold.

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Want to quit smoking or vaping?

The Hawaii Tobacco Quitline continues to offer “My Life, My Quit,” a free program with trained coaches to help youth up to age 17 quit smoking or vaping. Sign up by texting “Start My Quit” to 36072.

Visit MyLifeMyQuit.com for more information.