According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 480,000 people died in the United States from smoking-related illnesses in 2024. This figure includes both direct and second-hand smoke. In addition, the Surgeon General reports that 1 in 5 deaths are connected to tobacco in the U.S. These figures do not include vaping and e-cigarette-related illnesses that are rising at an astronomical rate as the general public largely and mistakenly think that these tobacco substitutes are a safe alternative even though they are clearly not.
To help combat this alarming trend, the American Lung Association (ALA) has put together a variety of courses and educational materials to address concerns for parents, guardians, and caregivers. The ALA has also developed resources for young people who want to combat the rise in vaping and e-cigarette use in schools. Among the many courses created by the ALA are: Talking to Your Child About Vaping, Freedom from Smoking, Freedom from Smoking Plus, TRU youth advocacy groups, and My Life My Quit.
The American Lung Association’s course Talking to Your Child About Vaping: A Guide for Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers is a free one-hour interactive online learning module designed to help parents, guardians, and caregivers talk to their child, ages 8 to 20, about vaping and nicotine product use including e-cigarettes, vaping devices, and oral nicotine pouches. Whether you are seeking to prevent your child from ever starting or needing to intervene with a child with a history of use, this training will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to have an impactful conversation with your child.
This program will teach participants to:
• Recognize the signs that your child is using tobacco or nicotine-based products,
• Deliver an impactful message in an effective way to prevent or intervene and
• Utilize resources for prevention or to effectively intervene and support a child during the quitting process.
One of the highlights of this learning module is the Parent Investigator – Vapor Trail Game. This interactive game allows participants to search for signs of tobacco use in a child’s bedroom. Talking to Your Child About Vaping: A Guide for Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers also offers three different modules: Overview, Prevention, and Intervention. Users will be able to choose their pathway. If they are interested in just tobacco use prevention, they can choose Module 2: Prevention. If they have already spotted a problem with their child using tobacco products, they can choose Module 3: Intervention. Users can choose to take all modules as well.
The Freedom from Smoking® group clinic includes eight sessions and features a step-by-step plan for quitting smoking. Each session is designed to help smokers gain control over their behavior. The clinic format encourages participants to work on the process and problems of quitting both individually and as part of a group.
The Freedom from Smoking® Plus is a highly interactive online behavioral change program that addresses today’s mobile lifestyles. It works on desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones and includes telephone, chat, and email support from trained tobacco cessation counselors.
One of ALA’s priorities in Northcentral PA is to share the programs and resources that are available to educate, prevent, and support cessation with those who are already using and dependent on Nicotine, which is why the Tobacco Resistance Unit (TRU) youth advocacy groups were developed. It was found that a critical component of reducing youth tobacco and nicotine use is involving youth to become involved in peer education and advocacy. Youth in Northcentral PA who are interested in starting a TRU group will need an adult advisor but can be started with just a few kids and funding available to support new TRU group activities.
The My Life, My Quit program is a free and confidential service for teens who want help quitting all forms of tobacco, including vaping. Coaches receive extensive training as tobacco treatment specialists through a CTTTP-accredited program, with additional training on adolescent cognitive and psychosocial development from a psychologist and professor at Stanford University who specializes in adolescent tobacco prevention.
Coaches use motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioral techniques to help teens:
Develop a quit plan.
Identify triggers for tobacco use.
Practice refusal skills.
Obtain ongoing support for changing behaviors.
Teens who participate in the program receive:
Five one-on-one coaching sessions are usually scheduled every 7-10 days.
Self-help and educational materials with input from teens.
Real-time support is available anytime over the phone and with limited hours by text messaging or online chat
My Life, My Quit does not provide cessation medications to anyone under age 18. Teens who request medications are referred to a healthcare professional to discuss whether medications are an option to support their quit attempt. My Life, My Quit is developed and operated by National Jewish Health, the nation’s leading respiratory hospital and academic research center. National Jewish Health operates Quitline programs in numerous states and has helped more than one million people with their quit attempts.
For more information about tobacco and tobacco alternative quit programs, please contact Health Promotion Specialist Meredith Bigger at Meredith.bigger@lung.org or call 1-800-LUNGUSA.
