Preventing youth tobacco use is a priority in Mesa County, and community members, including local businesses, play an important role. Public health resources are available to help reduce youth tobacco use, and one of the main goals is to equip youth, parents, and other trusted adults with the knowledge and resources to refuse nicotine or successfully quit.

To prevent young people from starting, Mesa County Public Health (MCPH) provides anti-vape education at community events such as the recent Trunk or Treat event in Clifton. Many youths mistakenly believe e-cigarettes and vapes contain only water vapor and flavoring. To address this misconception, outreach efforts highlight the harmful chemicals found in vapes, such as acrolein, a herbicide that can cause serious lung damage when inhaled.

MCPH is also collaborating with the Western Colorado Area Health Education Center and the Juvenile Diversion and Lighthouse Program on a youth-led anti-vaping presentation for middle and high school students. This program allows students from across the valley to work together on presentations they deliver to their peers, leveraging the idea that students are often more receptive to messages about vaping from their peers than from adults.

“This outreach and education are especially important for youth because there is so much misinformation about vaping out there,” said Darcy Weir, MCPH Community Health Planner. “By providing this education at the middle and high school levels, we can prevent nicotine addiction, protect students’ mental and physical health, and empower them to resist targeted marketing from tobacco companies.”

To support those already dealing with nicotine addiction, MCPH promotes several free cessation resources, including My Life, My Quit, QuitLine Colorado, and Baby and Me Tobacco-Free. These programs offer information, activities, and personalized counseling to help individuals quit.

According to the 2023 Youth Tobacco Use and Attitudes Special Report, the top three reasons students try vaping are peer or family influence, availability of flavors, and perceptions that vaping is less harmful than other forms of tobacco. 

Notably, in Mesa County, the rate of students who try tobacco before age 13 is nearly double the statewide average, with 12 percent of students in the county reporting tobacco use before that age. 

Additionally, while 62 percent of Mesa County youth believe smoking one or more packs of cigarettes daily poses a high risk, only one-third see daily vaping as similarly risky, contributing to a higher rate of vaping compared to smoking among students.

Ongoing prevention efforts aim to change these perceptions and reduce the appeal and use of electronic vapor products. 

For more information on youth vaping prevention, visit the Mesa County Public Health website at mesacounty.us/public-health.