New Program Tackles the Youth Vaping Epidemic with Science-based, Interactive Student Education

ATLANTA, Nov. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 3 million U.S. youth vape, and more than 11 million youth are at risk of experimenting with vapes. The news is filled with stories of vaping-related illness and death, and vaping rates continue to rise. Now is a critical time to engage youth and educate them on the known risks of vaping, to avoid future addiction and negative health consequences.

Launched to the public this week, AVOID (Anti-Vaping Online Information Dissemination) is a turnkey program for an adult facilitator to implement with middle and high school students in a school or other youth-serving organization. AVOID includes five lessons with videos, discussion guides, and handouts for immediate implementation by a facilitator. AVOID was developed with a strong science-base, with vetting from top tobacco researchers and prevention practitioners. A pretest/posttest evaluation of AVOID's core components with over 200 students found that exposure to the AVOID materials effectively changes knowledge about vaping, perceptions of risk about vaping, and lowers intentions to vape at statistically significant levels.

"A lot of prevention programs just tell kids what to do. What AVOID tries to do instead is to talk about the known risk of vaping – the science and the evidence. We give kids the real facts, straightforwardly, and help them make their own decisions to stay vape free," said Kristen Holtz, president and founder of KDHRC, when describing what sets AVOID apart from other existing resources.

The AVOID curriculum is now available for schools and youth-serving organizations to purchase and implement immediately. Visit www.avoidvapes.com to learn more.

KDH Research & Communication (KDHRC) is an Atlanta-based research and communication firm funded by the federal government to reduce youth vaping. We have partnered on many national, state, and local drug prevention campaigns that have had powerful and wide-reaching outcomes. We are dedicated to conducting rigorous research and creating powerful programs that change behavior. Please visit the KDHRC website at www.kdhrc.com.

Contact:
Kristen Holtz
KDH Research & Communication
404-395-8711
[email protected] 
www.kdhrc.com

SOURCE KDH Research & Communication