Objective 

Based on the Community Health Assessment that was completed in 2021, the leading cause of death in Franklin County was heart disease. In Franklin County, 144 people died from heart disease in 2019, which is 13 deaths higher than the second leading cause of death, cancer. The rate of these deaths is comparable to the other Health ENC counties and significantly higher than the rate of heart disease deaths in North Carolina. Approximately 21% of adults in Franklin County are smokers, which is 3% higher than the state average. It was also reported that approximately 25.2% of high school students in Franklin County are using tobacco products and is comparable to the state average of 28.8%.   

Cigarette smokers are 2 to 4 times more likely to get heart disease than nonsmokers. One out of every 5 smoking related deaths is caused by heart disease. According to the CDC, heart disease is the single largest cause of death in the United States, killing more than 800,000 people per year.   

Heart disease is affecting people at younger ages each year. Underlying risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, and smoking are contributing to these alarming numbers.   

“Set the B.A.R.” is a program designed by our Health Education staff that discusses vaping use and prevention amongst high schoolers. This program was based on different evidence-based programs and combined information from both to best suit the needs of our students. It discusses vaping and tobacco use, cessation of these products as well as preventative measures.  

What We Will Do 

The "Set the B.A.R.” program is designed to address the rising numbers of e-cigarette/vape use amongst High School Students and set up the next generation with proper preventative measures to reduce overall e-cigarette and tobacco usage in Franklin County. 

Who Is Involved 

Franklin County Health Department  

Franklin County Schools   

When This Takes Place 

This program was first implemented into 9th grade Health and P.E. classes at 3 High Schools in Franklin County in November 2023. We plan to return every semester and teach this class to ensure all 9th grade students receive the curriculum. We also plan to include the Early College in this class in the Spring Semester.  

How We Will Do It 

Health educators from FCHD will be trained to deliver the "Set the B.A.R.” to 9th grade students enrolled in Franklin County Public Schools. This will take place over 2 days in the Health and P.E. classrooms. 

Results/Planned Measures of Impact 

Due to new regulations, we are unable to give surveys to students regarding their current vape usage. After each class we have an open discussion about the class and receive feedback from students on how to improve the class since this is a new class. Our planned measure of impact is to track vaping suspension numbers within the school system over the next few years.  

Discussion/Next Steps 

To date, we have successfully implemented this program in 9th grade Health and P.E. classes for Fall 2023. Due to high school schedules all of 9th grade will not receive this until after spring semester. We plan to continue to attend and implement this class each semester for the foreseeable future.  

Sources  

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/50th-anniversary/pdfs/fs_smoking_CVD_508.pdf 

https://nciom.org/counties/franklin-county/