Henrico Schools to hold youth vaping prevention event Jan. 10
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Henrico Schools will host a workshop on the recent trends of youth vaping and steps to prevent and stop vaping alongside officials from the Virginia Department of Health at the Fairfield Area Library this evening at 6 p.m.
The event, “Youth Vaping Prevention: What Schools and Caregivers Need to Know,” will also inform families on the dangers of vaping and the tools and resources available to both prevent students from being introduced to vaping and to help students end a vaping habit.
In 2018, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams declared e-cigarette vaping among adolescents as an “epidemic” in the United States. While e-cigarette use by high schoolers has decreased in the past five years, 12.6% of U.S. high-schoolers still use tobacco products as well 6.6% of middle-schoolers, with e-cigarettes still being the most popular product.
“Youth vaping has risen to the status of a national epidemic,” an HCPS social media post about the event read. “It is imperative that schools, parents, caregivers and our community act quickly to become a vital part of the solution.”
Two leaders from the VA Dept. of Health – Kathy Johnson, the substance-use prevention and intervention coordinator, and Sarah Birckhead, the Central Region coordinator for tobacco control – will help lead the event.
The program is a part of the “Mental Health Matters: Family and Caregiver Workshop Series” held by the HCPS Family and Community Engagement team. Parents and caregivers can attend the event in-person from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. or virtually at www.hcps.info/MentalHealthMatters.
