As of December 2022, nineteen teachers from thirteen schools across all three school districts have implemented CATCH My Breath, impacting 1,775 students in grades 6-9.

CATCH my breath is a Youth Vaping prevention program that was developed at the University of Texas School of Public Health.   The program creator, Dr. Steven Kelder, developed the curriculum in response to the spike in youth e-cigarette use.

CATCH my breath is a peer reviewed program, found in the Mar/April 2020 issue of Public Health reports- the official journal of the US Surgeon General.  The study found that students in schools that implemented the program were half as likely to experiment with e-cigarettes over the following 16 months, compared with those in schools that did not receive the program.  The review also found the program increased student knowledge of vaping dangers and positive perceptions and choosing a vape-free lifestyle.

The program has already served 1.8 million students across all 50 states and is in over 5500 schools.  It can be taught to ages 10-18 years/ grades 5-12.  There are 4 lessons per version 5, 6^th, 7/8^th, 9-12^th. Sessions are 30-40 minutes each.  These are easy to integrate into Health, PE, Science and Advisory classes.  The curriculum utilizes peer led teaching approach and meets national and state health education standards.  There is no cost to using the curriculum and it is continually updated so that our teachers can have the most up to date information and strategies to use in the classroom.

Equipping our youth with the tools to say “NO” to risky behaviors like vaping and empowering healthy decision making is a must as we look to improve health in our communities.  Giving our students strategies to avoid unhealthy behaviors along with helping youth that maybe have already started vaping find the courage and support to quit is essential in addressing this Public Health challenge.

https://letsgo.catch.org/courses/take/ToT-catch-my-breath/pdfs/38588212-create-a-catch-org-account-enroll-in-catch-my-breath

We have worked with School Health Advisory Councils, the Catawba County Public Health School Health team, district staff, and health/physical education teachers to ensure that the CATCH My Breath curriculum is available to all 6th - 9th grade classes across all three school districts.