Richmond County health officials are focusing on reducing the number of young people vaping by educating them on the risks.

Richmond County health officials are focusing on reducing the number of young people vaping by educating them on the risks.

ROCKINGHAM — In a Pride Survey of 211 Richmond County Schools 11th graders, about 14% of those students reported using e-cigarettes in the last 30 days.

Pride Surveys gather data and trends on substance use and abuse, according to Richmond County Public Health Educator Kendra Faries. A virtual webinar on Tuesday, sponsored by Sandhills Center in collaboration with North Carolina Families United, presented the results of the survey and other information regarding vaping and substance abuse for parents, those who work with children and teens, and anyone else wanting to learn more about the relatively new trend.

This cohort of students took the same survey when they were ninth-graders. This survey also covered physical and mental health, as well as family life. At that time, 3% of students had used tobacco cigarettes and 7% had used marijuana in the last 30 days.

This survey showed an upward trend both statewide and nationally in the use of e-cigarettes and vaping, while cigarette usage is at an all-time low.

“This is happening under our noses,” Faries said. “As a teacher, I saw athletes vaping on a regular basis. It’s not unheard of to have these kids doing this high-risk [behavior], and they don’t really understand it. They don’t see themselves at 50 years old still fighting the addiction.”

She then detailed the long-term effects, such as asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer.

“Even though cigarette use is tremendously low, overall tobacco use is still too high among young people,” added Travis Greer, a Region 6 Tobacco Control Manager.

According to the 2019 North Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey, approximately 135,000 high school and 38,000 middle school students currently use tobacco products.

Faries said one of the “disturbing” takeaways from the survey is the perceived health risks that students believe that tobacco, marijuana and vaping pose to them.

In Richmond County, 76% of the surveyed students believe that cigarettes pose a health risk, but only 36% and 59% of students believed that it was true for marijuana and vaping, respectively. Faries said that, ideally, that number is over 90% across the board.

“We all know that there is a risk to that,” Faries said. “It may be long-term, but there’s still a risk. That’s not even counting the addiction process.”

While many of the students expected strong parental disapproval for using any of these three substances, they expected lower disapproval from their peers.

“In the school system, you can look at the culture and say that marijuana, e-cigarettes, and vaping don’t seem to disturb the population,” Faries said.

Faries also spoke about the increase in the percentage of THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, that youth are consuming. In the ’60s, Faries said that the THC content of marijuana could commonly be as low as .25% to 1%, and in the next decade, rose to 6%. Now, Faries said that marijuana in the US can be genetically modified to be as high as 24% THC.

From August 2020 to July 2021, out of 78 drug tests for pregnant women in Richmond County, 71.8% of the women tested positive for a drug. Surprisingly, 97% of their children tested positive for a drug.

“Why’s it different between mom and baby?” Faries asked rhetorically. “The baby can’t excrete it. They’re not able to get rid of it, and they’re steeping like tea….in the drugs that the mom uses.”

Preventative program may be coming to schools

CATCH My Breath is an evidence-based program to prevent youth from vaping. Faries said that she’s a certified facilitator with this program.

Due to COVID-19, the program hasn’t been implemented into the school system, but Faries emphasized that it’s something that she hopes to bring forth.

The program could be taught with some classes, or it would allow for a facilitator to work directly with students who may wish to quit vaping.

Faries said that the curriculum is directly in line with state guidelines that match the health occupation classes and that teachers could be trained to teach the CATCH My Breath curriculum.

As part of the Richmond County Health Department’s Strategic Plan, Faries concluded by stating that one of their biggest goals moving forward is vaping and smoking prevention.

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Reach Matthew Sasser at 910-817-2671 or [email protected].