Teen vaping rates in Utah are down thanks to initiatives, health officials say
Sep 11, 2024, 7:00 PM | Updated: Sep 12, 2024, 10:01 am
FILE - Varieties of disposable flavored electronic cigarette devices manufactured by EB Design, formerly known as Elf Bar, are displayed at a store in Pinecrest, Fla. (Rebecca Blackwell. Associated Press)
(Rebecca Blackwell. Associated Press)
SALT LAKE CITY — Banning the sale of nicotine vapes online has helped decrease teen vaping in Utah says a representative of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
The news came from the 2023 Utah Student Health and Risk Prevention survey, which is also called the SHARP survey. The survey is a voluntary questionnaire that requires parental or caregiver permission. In 2023, nearly 52,700 students answered SHARP survey questions about thoughts of suicide, time spent on social media, and the use of vaping products, among others.
According to the survey, vaping nicotine rates both over their lifetime and within the last 30 days decreased in 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grade respondents in 2023. The largest drop, comparing 2021 and 2023 information, was seen among 12th-grade respondents.
The story is similar nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that half a million fewer kids in the U.S. reported current use of e-cigarettes in 2024 compared to 2023.
What’s behind Utah’s drop in teen vaping?
The Utah Health and Human Service Department’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program says several initiatives to prevent teens from vaping, are working. These include restrictions on retailers and collaboration between advocates, schools, and local health services. Resources to help teens quit vaping are also helping.
Future data may be different
During the 2024 legislative session, Utah lawmakers approved HB182. It allows schools to opt out of student behavior surveys such as SHARP.
The bill’s co-sponsor, House Majority Whip Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, R-Clearfield, said parents were concerned about the surveys. They reportedly told the lawmaker that time is taken away from education when schools administer behavioral surveys.
Despite the new law, Aubri Devashrayee with the state’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program said information from places like the CDC can offer good insight.
“They do some weighting with their data,” Devashrayee told KSL NewsRadio, “so that it is more representative of each area.”
Free resources and education about nicotine are still offered to teenagers, even after the new law passed.
