New Mexico Pediatric Society
E-Cigarettes
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Introduction
E-cigarette use among youth has quickly become the new epidemic our nation is facing. The adolescent brain is uniquely sensitive to the addictive nature of nicotine, potentially setting our youth up for a lifetime of nicotine addiction. Further exacerbating the problem is the multitude of enticing e-cigarette flavors, combined with targeted advertising to youth. For these reasons, it is not surprising that 1 in 4 youth report using e-cigarettes in the last month. What is our role as pediatricians, parents, or teachers to help mitigate this epidemic and its potentially devastating consequences?
Resources for Practioners
General E-cigarette Information for Physicians
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E-Cigarette Information (AAP; facts and resources)
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E-Cigarettes and Similar Devices (AAP policy statement; for more in-depth information; 10 pages; pdf)
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Health Care Professionals: Educate Your Young Patients About the Risks of E-cigarettes (CDC fact sheet; with guidelines for clinicians on how to educate youth about the risks of e-cigarettes; 4 pages; pdf)
Handouts on General E-Cigarette Information for Physicians
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E-Cigarettes and Vaping: What Clinicians Need to Know (AAP fact sheet; includes basic facts on e-Cigarettes; 2 pages; pdf)
Clinical Tools for Supporting Youth Tobacco Cessation
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Youth Tobacco Cessation: How to ACT (Ask-Counsel-Treat)
in 2-3 Minutes (AAP Flowchart; This resource introduces the 'Ask-Counsel-Treat’ (ACT) model to minimize time and burden on the pediatric health clinician and maximize the patient’s chances of a successful quit. Pediatric health clinicians have a collective responsibility to ACT to identify youth who use tobacco and connect them with the resources they need for a successful quit.) -
Supporting Youth who are Addicted to Nicotine: Advice for Pediatricians (AAP fact sheet; information on how to make a successful quit plan, follow-up, and coding resources; 1 page; pdf)
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Nicotine Dependence Screening Tools for Youth:
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Hooked on Nicotine Checklist (AAP questionnaire; 10 questions to ask youth on vaping to determine addiction; 1 page; pdf)
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The Four-Item E-cigarette Dependence Scale for Assessing Adolescent E-cigarette Nicotine Dependence (AAP questionnaire; 1 page; pdf)
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Modified Version of the Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire (National Institutes of Health)
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Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and Adolescent Patients (AAP fact sheet; for clinicians to understand NRT and make decisions about using it with patients; includes nicotine dependence screening tools; 5 pages; pdf)
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How to Use Nicotine Gum (smokefree.gov/veterans; 30-second video on the "chew and park" method for NRT gum)
Advocacy/Policy Spotlight
FDA Fails to Take Comprehensive Action on E-Cigarettes
Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) failed to protect young people from e-cigarettes by not honoring a deadline to rule on or remove individual products from the marketplace. The inaction leaves highly popular products from the largest e-cigarette companies, like JUUL, which appeal to young people, on the market indefinitely. Here's AAP's statement.
A federal court compelled FDA to review e-cigarette applications and only allow products to remain on the market if they're determined to be in the interest of public health. The requirement came after years of inaction from FDA to regulate e-cigarettes as required by law.
FDA was required to complete this review process by yesterday. Despite this, the agency has yet to issue a final decision on JUUL and other large e-cigarette companies that have fueled the youth nicotine epidemic, and signaled that it will not take imminent action to remove them from the market in the meantime.
The AAP and its partners are exploring all available legal options to compel FDA to follow the law and continue to urge the agency to reject applications for all flavored products like JUUL that have a proven track record of harming youth.
Postponing decisions on those with the lion’s share of the market further empowers the big, rich, tobacco companies to continue to grow their business and profits on the backs of young people, putting millions at risk for a lifetime of nicotine addiction.
Download this graphic: Become a Quitter (jpeg)
Resources for Parents & Youth
General e-Cigarette Information for Patients/Parents
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THE FACTS on E-cigarette use Among Youth and Young Adults (CDC resource for parents; with evidence-based facts on e-cigarettes and youth; also available in Spanish)
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Truth Initiative (non-profit public health organization committed to making tobacco use a thing of the past)
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Parents Against Vaping (PAVe) (grassroots organization founded by three moms in response to youth vaping epidemic)
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Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (advocacy organization working to reduce tobacco use and its deadly consequences in the U.S. and around the world)
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Resources for Parents (Protect Kids, a project of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids; facts, teen stories on addiction, and tips for talking to your kids)
Handouts on E-cigarettes for Parents
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Parent Primer (AAP; information for parents on e-cigarettes and vaping, and tips for talking with teens; 2 pages; pdf)
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E-Cigarettes and Vaping: What Parents Need to Know (AAP; 1 page; pdf)
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How to Talk to Your Kids About Vaping (American Lung Association; helps parents start the conversation with their children about the dangers of vaping; 3 pages; pdf)
Tobacco Cessation Resources for Parents/Youth
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Become a Smokefree Teen (National Institutes of Health; tools and tips for youth; also available in Spanish)
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This is Quitting (Truth Initiative; text message-based cessation support service for teens)
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The Ex Program (Truth Initiative; tobacco cessation program for organizations)
Documentary and Education/Prevention Campaign
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NM VAPE (Christopher Productions; a New Mexico-based campaign to help youth and parents address the dangers of e-cigarettes; includes a documentary as well as other tools created by youth for youth)
Video clip: "Flavor Dangers" (a segment from VAPE, a documentary by Emmy-award winning Christopher Productions. Go to https://nmvape.info/ for more information on this and other videos and the education/prevention campaign.)