CDPH Launches Campaign to Combat Youth Vaping

On Monday, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) launched a new advertising campaign entitled, “Tell Your Story,” in response to the latest high school vaping data from the 2019-20 California Student Tobacco Survey.

The survey, which includes data from September 2019 to March 2020, found that California’s high school vaping rate is at its lowest in four years (8.2 percent) while the number of California teens trying to quit vaping more than doubled since 2018. During this same time, numerous youth and young adults were hospitalized due to e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI), and California implemented a large-scale public awareness campaign about EVALI cases to protect its residents and young people.

The “Tell Your Story” campaign features real stories from young people and highlights their journey to quit vaping. The campaign educates youth and young adults about the harmful impacts of vaping and connects them with evidence-based resources to quit. The campaign promotes the “I Can Quit” text message program to support the quitting process and emphasize how to develop and successfully practice coping strategies.

Additional information on the state’s new campaign is available here.