Stanly - Youth E-cigarette Use (Middle School)
Current Value
6.7%
Definition
Story Behind the Curve
*Stanly County Schools are no longer participating in the Stanly County Youth Drug Survey due to the passing of the "Parent's Bill of Rights" [SL 2023-106 (SB 49)].
The Stanly County Youth Drug Survey is administered every other year to Stanly County middle and high school students. Between 2020 and 2022, Stanly County middle school students experienced a 1.6% increase in reported e-cigarette use. in 2022, 6.7% of surveyed middle school students reported using an e-cigarette in the past 30 days.
Partners
Center for Prevention Services
Stanly County Schools
Stanly County Health Department
What Works
Youth prevention education that focuses on coping skills and social skills can help to reduce the initiation of tobacco use including e-cigarettes in youth. Other strategies are reducing advertising of tobacco products, raising the age to purchase tobacco products, and penalizing retailers that sell tobacco to underage users.
Strategy
Youth prevention education including Avoid Vapes, Too Good for Drugs, and Botvin Life Skills work to provide students with the skills they need to prevent initiation of tobacco use. Digital communications campaigns directed to teens is used to change perceptions of risk to decrease use of tobacco. Tobacco retailers are visited to ensure that they are aware of the federal law that requires tobacco purchasers to be age 21 or older. Signage is provided to those that need it.