Richmond County Health Department partnered with the Richmond County School System to implement the CATCH My Breath Vaping Prevention Program in the middle and high schools within the health education classes.  Data will be determined at a later date.  

PRIDE surveys were developed as a part of Reagan's administration "Just Say No" campaign to help combat drug usage. The purpose of the survey is to help communities and school districts to measure student use and perception of the risk of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and prescription drugs. In September 2021, a PRIDE (originally- Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education) survey was conducted on Richmond County eleventh grade students to determine student drug use including tobacco and e-cigarette usage, and many other relevant behaviors such as mental and physical health, school safety, and family life. Data was summarized to show the core measures that most federal agencies consider the most important in measuring drug use and perceptions among youth.  Those core measures are: 

• Reported 30-day Use - the percentage of students who have reported use in the last 30 days

• Perception of Risk - the percentage of students who reported that a drug was Moderate Risk or Great Risk

• Perception of Parental Disapproval of Use - the percentage of students who reported that their parents would feel if was Wrong or Very Wrong to use

• Perception of Friends’ Disapproval of Use - the percentage of students who reported that their friends would feel if was Wrong or Very Wrong to use

Table 1

Core Measures

Table 2

Students Use

Table 3

Location of Use 
 

Table 4

When Students' Use 
 

International Survey Associates/Pride Surveys. (2021). Richmond County Student Survey. [Unpublished report]. Richmond County Department of Social Services. 
 

• American Cancer Society Stay Away from Tobacco | American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer.

• Richmond County School System Richmond County Schools 

The school system teaches tobacco awareness and avoidance. Each school utilizes counselors and teaching staff to highlight N.C. curriculum standards and stand-alone activities to promote tobacco-free students.

• Region 6 Tobacco Collaboration

The collaborative works to improve the health of North Carolina residents by promoting smoke-free environments and tobacco-free lifestyles. Our goal is to build the capacity of diverse organizations and communities to implement and carry out effective, culturally appropriate strategies to reduce deaths and health problems due to tobacco use and secondhand smoke.

• Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program | Durham, NC (dukeunctts.com)

The Duke-UNC Comprehensive TTS Program combines findings from the most current evidence-based research on pharmacotherapy, population-based issues, practical guidance on running a practice, and targeted skills in tobacco dependence counseling. Through a combination of interactive, virtual sessions and online self-paced training, Duke-UNC TTS offers leading-edge, evidence-based continuing education in a fun and engaging online experience. Completion of this course fulfills the training requirement for the National Certificate in Tobacco Treatment Practice (NCTTP), offered by the Association for Addiction Counselors (NAADAC).

• QuitlineNC QuitlineNC.com

We provide free cessation services to any North Carolina resident who needs help quitting commercial tobacco use, including all tobacco products offered for sale and not tobacco used for sacred and traditional ceremonies by many American Indian tribes and communities. Quit Coaching is available in different forms, which can be used separately or with another program to help any tobacco user give up tobacco.

• CATCH My Breath  CATCH My Breath E-Cigarette & JUUL Prevention

CATCH My Breath is a peer-reviewed, evidence-based youth vaping prevention program developed by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health. The program provides up-to-date information to teachers, parents, and health professionals to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to make informed decisions about the use of e-cigarettes, including JUUL devices. CATCH My Breath utilizes a peer-led teaching approach and meets National and State Health Education Standards.

• North Carolina Healthy Beginnings Grant 

The Infant Mortality Reduction Program provides funding for education, support, and elimination of exposure to tobacco products to community members in assisting in the quitting of tobacco products (inclusive of electronic nicotine delivery systems) using the 5A’s (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange). Grants are awarded for three years and are administered by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Women’s and Children’s Health Section, Women’s Health Branch, Perinatal Health Unit.

• Healthy Communities DHHS: DPH: CDI: Healthy Communities (nc.gov)

The North Carolina Division of Public Health (DPH) uses Preventive Health and Health Services (PHHS) Block Grant funding to administer the Healthy Communities Program through the Chronic Disease and Injury (CDI) Section. This program aims to reduce the burden of chronic disease and injury in North Carolina. This funding enables county and district health departments to implement community-based interventions that address poor nutrition, physical inactivity, tobacco use, violence, and unintentional injury.

• Educate about cigarettes/vaping 
• Help students influence peers not to use e-cigarettes
• Empower students to resist e-cigarettes and vaping 
• Advocate for more regulation on e-cigarettes, e-liquid, and accessories
• Advocate for laws against flavors, including menthol
• Higher penalties for selling to minors
• Advocate for laws against allowing minors in tobacco stores and vape shops

The evidence-based CATCH My Breath program was shown to substantially reduce students’ likelihood of vaping in the year following program implementation. Students also showed a significant increase in knowledge of the dangers of vaping and an increase in positive perceptions about choosing a vape-free lifestyle. In developing this strategy, the Richmond County Health Department-Public Health Educator will seek endorsement from the Richmond County Schools administration to allow workshops to train middle and high school faculty in the CATCH My Breath curriculum. The Public Health Educator will also seek middle and high school health and physical education teachers to implement the sessions as a guest speaker in their health classes.