LIVE VAPE GREE GIVES TEENS NEW TOOL TO QUIT VAPING

New Orleans, LA. – (November 9, 2021) – The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) and Well-Ahead Louisiana are calling on youth to quit vaping and offering them a new tool to help.

Live Vape Free is a free texting program for Louisiana teens ages 13 to 17 who use e-cigarettes or vapes. The interactive program teaches skills that teens can use to quit vaping for good.

“We’ve learned that rates of depression and anxiety in children and adolescents have doubled since the start of the pandemic[i],” said Dr. Earl Benjamin-Robinson, director of TFL. “While teens may be turning to vapes to help with their mental state, another study has shown that sustained use of e-cigarettes actually increases the rates of depressive symptoms in youth[ii].”

“This, along with the physical harm vaping causes, makes it more important than ever that teens know about the cessation resources available to them.”

The rate of e-cigarette use among Louisiana teens has tripled since 2015, according to the Louisiana Youth Tobacco Survey.[iii] Live Vape Free is part of cessation services offered through the Louisiana Tobacco Quitline.

“Teenagers always seem to be on their phones, so we wanted to offer this support to meet them where they are,” explained Well-Ahead Louisiana Director Melissa Martin. “Quitting a tobacco product isn’t easy for anyone, but we must provide the tools to help our residents – even our youth – try.”

The support provided through Live Vape Free is text-message-based and offers interactive coaching specifically geared towards teens. Participants have access to a Quit Coach at any time who can provide additional education, tools, and guidance to help them along their quit journey. Features include videos, quizzes, self-assessments, podcasts, and help for a teen to find their “why.”

Any teen in Louisiana ages 13 to 17 can enroll by texting “VAPEFREE” to 873373 and answering a few quick questions to get started.

The Louisiana Tobacco Quitline is a 24-hour, confidential, free tobacco cessation helpline that links people who are ready to quit using tobacco with trained tobacco cessation specialists who help create an individualized plan to quit. The Quitline can provide Louisiana residents free counseling and nicotine replacement therapies to help them quit tobacco for good.

A program of the Louisiana Public Health Institute, TFL engages in local and statewide tobacco control policy efforts that focus on preventing tobacco use, eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke, promoting cessation services, and identifying and eliminating tobacco-related disparities. For more information, visit www.tobaccofreeliving.org.

Well-Ahead Louisiana is the chronic disease prevention and healthcare access arm of the state Department of Health. Well-Ahead connects communities to tools and resources that help improve the health of Louisiana’s residents where they live, work, learn and play. For more information, visit www.wellaheadla.com.

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[1] Racine N, McArthur BA, Cooke JE, et al. Global Prevalence of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in Children and Adolescents During COVID-19: A Meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics 2021

[1] Lechner WV, Janssen T, Kahler CW, Audrain-McGovern J, Leventhal AM. Bi-directional associations of electronic and combustible cigarette use onset patterns with depressive symptoms in adolescents. Prev Med. 2017 Mar;96:73-78. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.12.034. Epub 2016 Dec 23. PMID: 28024859; PMCID: PMC5510594.

[1] Louisiana Youth Tobacco Survey, 2019. https://wellaheadla.com/wp-con...

The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living

The Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living (TFL) engages in local and statewide tobacco control policy efforts that focus on tobacco prevention and initiation among youth, eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, promote cessation services, and identify and eliminate tobacco-related disparities. TFL is guided by best practices in tobacco control and envisions a healthier Louisiana by reducing the excessive burden of tobacco use on all Louisianans. For more information visit www.tobaccofreeliving.org. To find out more about the dangers of secondhand smoke and show your support for a smoke-free Louisiana, visit www.healthierairforall.org. To learn more about quitting tobacco, visit www.quitwithusla.org.