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Creating a smoke-free environment in schools
June 13, 2024
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation is proud to partner with Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK), the Paso del Norte Tobacco Control Network, and the American Heart Association to recognize Tornillo Independent School District for adopting updated tobacco-free policies, making it the first district in El Paso County to meet best practices. School policies play a crucial role in curbing teen vape use and helping protect youth from tobacco addiction.
In New Mexico, the Doña Ana Vaping Awareness Subcommittee, in a display of community collaboration, partnered with the Village of Hatch Coalition and the City of Las Cruces Youth Development and Diversion Program to recognize the commendable efforts of the Hatch Valley Superintendent and the Gadsden Independent School Board. This recognition was marked by a collage of youth artwork collected from their communities, symbolizing the shared commitment to youth vaping awareness.
During several comprehensive school staff professional development presentations on “How to Identify Vaping Devices,” the level of engagement and interest was remarkable. A significant 95 percent of the staff indicated their ability to immediately apply this information, with 52 percent reporting that almost all the information was new to them. The overwhelming response from 97 percent of the school staff, who deemed this topic important to them and their school community, underscores the relevance and impact of this training.
Since the “Let’s Talk Youth Vaping” Training Day rollout, 165 facilitators have been trained to deliver the presentation to parents/caregivers in El Paso County, Texas, and Doña Ana County, New Mexico.
The Paso del Norte Tobacco Control Network is spearheaded by the Health Foundation’s Smoke-Free Paso del Norte Initiative with support from Action for Healthy Kids. To learn more about Smoke-Free Paso del Norte, click here.
PDNHF Initiative: A Smoke-Free Paso del Norte
Although current youth smoking rates have decreased, the use of electronic cigarettes and youth vaping has now overtaken smoking. According to the recent National Youth Tobacco Survey, E-cigarettes were the most commonly ever used tobacco product overall. Less is known about vaping, but science confirms that nicotine negatively affects the adolescent brain and is addictive. E-cigarette use among youth also is linked with use of other tobacco products as well as alcohol and marijuana abuse.
Smoking is still the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States.
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Foundation Staff: Audrey Garcia
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