CATCH My Breath is a school-based vaping prevention program designed for students in grades 5–12, offered in English and Spanish. The curriculum is peer-led, with trained adults serving as facilitators, and focuses on empowering students to make informed choices about e-cigarettes while strengthening their ability to resist social and peer pressure to vape. Each grade-level version includes four scripted lessons that are approximately 30–45 minutes in length.

CATCH My Breath can be implemented by educators, local and state government partners, public health staff, and community volunteers. The program also includes parent resources and optional supplemental lessons to further support prevention efforts. In addition, CATCH My Breath incorporates youth engagement through a Youth Advisory Board that helps review and inform program content and related initiatives.

CATCH My Breath is the only evidence-based vaping prevention program shown to reduce the likelihood of youth vaping and is available at no cost to schools across the United States. The curriculum was developed in 2016 by the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and is supported by research funded by the National Institutes of Health.

CATCH My Breath is a free, school-based vaping prevention program for grades 5-12, offered in English and Spanish. It is a peer-led program with adult facilitators, designed to empower students to resist vaping through four scripted lessons per grade. The program also provides support for educators and the community, along with parent resources and a youth advisory board.

In 2024, the Columbus County Health Educator received "train the trainer" certification for CATCH My Breath to equip teachers to deliver the lessons. However, due to personnel changes, the program was not fully implemented. In January 2025, a new Health Educator was hired and plans to complete training in May to restart the initiative.

Progress in 2025 was limited due to staffing turnover, which delayed staff training and slowed implementation timelines for the CATCH My Breath curriculum. Two new Health Educators have been hired and are prepared to complete CATCH My Breath training in early 2026, allowing implementation to resume moving forward.

We were unable to secure funding for training in the CATCH My Breath curriculum as originally planned. As a result, we have transitioned to an alternative prevention strategy by partnering with our local Opioid Task Force (TF). Through this collaboration, we are participating in the Task Force’s School Prevention Project for students in grades 6–9, which implements the Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) program.

Botvin LifeSkills Training is a widely used, evidence-based school prevention program designed to reduce substance abuse, violence, and other risky behaviors among youth. Originally developed for middle school students and now available for grades K–12, the program focuses on strengthening protective factors through three key areas: drug resistance skills, personal self-management, and general social skills. Students learn strategies for refusing substances, building self-esteem, managing stress and emotions, making healthy decisions, and improving communication and assertiveness.

The curriculum is typically delivered in classroom settings using interactive methods such as role-playing, discussion, and skills practice. Research has shown that participation in LifeSkills Training can significantly reduce tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use among adolescents, with some studies demonstrating reductions of up to 80%.

By partnering with the Opioid Task Force and supporting the implementation of this evidence-based program in local schools, we are able to continue advancing substance use prevention efforts among youth in our community.