Correction: We originally reported that in 2016 and 2017 the percentage of 7th-12th graders who reported vaping in the past 30 days was 11.1% and 11.2%, respectively. This post has been updated to reflect the corrected percentages for both years as 8.1%. Additionally, 2016 and 2017 grade level percentages were corrected in the included graph. This correction did not impact any trends reported in this blog. For questions about this correction please email: mthon@cortlandareactc.org.
Looking back, it sometimes feels as though vaping came out of nowhere. Well, based on the data we have from our yearly Youth Development Survey, here in Cortland County, it kind of did! When looking at the trends, the percentage of students in Cortland County who reported vaping in the past 30 days held steady around 8.1% in 2016 and 2017 (Figure 1). By the time the 2018 survey was given, the percentage of student’s vaping in the past 30 days more than doubled!
This trend line is not only eye-catching on the graph, but also a major concern for Cortland County youth. While scientists are still researching the long-term health consequences of vaping, the leading health agencies in the country conclude that the “bottom line” is e-cigarettes are not safe for teens and young adults.1
In recent focus groups I conducted with parents about underage drinking, vaping was not the main topic of conversation, but it was often mentioned as a concern among the parents as well. The data I’m about to share with you will help you better understand this issue in the context of your own Cortland County teen.
When do teens in Cortland County start vaping?
In 2019, 5.2% of 7th graders in Cortland County reported vaping at least one time in the past 30 day (Figure 1). Parents should be aware that their children entering middle school could be exposed to, or even start vaping, as early as 7th grade. Even more concerning is the fact that more than triple the percentage of Cortland County 8th graders (18.4%) reported vaping at least once in the past 30 days compared to 7th graders (5.2%) (Figure 1).
You might be asking—well how many of those 2019 8th graders were vaping in 7th grade, maybe they just vape more than the typical 8th grade class or maybe this year’s 7th graders vape less? Well, when you look at this year’s cohort of 8th graders in 7th grade, only 3.7% reported vaping. So that group more than quadrupled the number of students reporting vaping in the past 30 days in just one year. Parents should also keep in mind that in 2019, the largest increase in usage, by far,occurs between 7th and 8th grade. That is a good time to reinforce the risks associated with vaping and using other tobacco products.
Where do teens in Cortland County get their vaping products?
I’ve heard on several occasions adults thinking that teens are ordering all of their vaping products online. However, the most common place students in Cortland County report accessing vaping products is, simply, they gave money to someone else to buy the products for them. Only, 2.8% of Cortland County students who have vaped report ordering vaping products online, while 35.4% said they gave someone else money to buy it for them (Figure 2).
In May and July of 2020, several New York State Laws went in effect that could prevent youth from accessing vaping and tobacco products including; banning pharmacies from selling vapor products, prohibiting the sale or flavored vape products including menthol, prohibiting stores from displaying ads for tobacco or vape products in windows or storefront within 1,500 feet from a school, and increasing penalties for selling tobacco vapor products to people under 21.2
We hope to see the effects of these new tobacco control laws play out positively in the youth survey data here in Cortland County over the next few years.
References:
1.About Electronic Cigarettes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/about-e-cigarettes.html
2.A Guide for Retail Tobacco Merchants. NYSDOH. https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/tobacco_control/retail_tobacco_dealers_guide.htm
