Tobacco Stops With Me Encourages Parents, Educators To Talk With Youth About Tobacco
“Talk About Tobacco” aims to inspire open, honest dialogue
OKLAHOMA CITY – Tobacco Stops With Me, a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), is launching a new campaign to encourage parents and educators to talk with kids about the dangers of youth vaping and tobacco use.
The campaign, “Talk About Tobacco,” provides new resources to help parents and teachers begin what might be considered an awkward conversation about a sensitive subject. These include conversation guides, interactive games, classroom resources, a vaping guide and an informative blog.
“We want parents to feel prepared to have an open and honest conversation with their kids about vaping to build trust as a reliable source of support,” said Julie Bisbee, TSET executive director. "We’ve seen reports of kids as young as 11 vaping, and our team is getting requests for age-specific resources from elementary school teachers. TSET will continue to help empower our youth to ensure they lead healthier, stronger lives as future decision-makers. Talking about tobacco is the first step in that process."
More than 21% of Oklahoma high schoolers use e-cigarettes — that’s more than double the national average (10%). Plus, 60% of parents whose teens vape are unaware it’s happening. The “Talk About Tobacco” campaign is a powerful tool to prevent kids from starting down the path to a lifetime of addiction.
"It's not something I've tried personally, but I have friends and family who vape and smoke. My grandma had some health problems as a result of smoking, and I know it's not something she would want anyone else to suffer with,” said Boomer Pridemore, a junior at Luther High School. “That's one of the reasons I got involved in health advocacy at school, and that's why it's important that we talk about tobacco.”
Boomer is part of the TSET Healthy Youth Initiative’s Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL) program, a statewide youth-led initiative to promote healthy behaviors.
Find more information on how you can help Oklahoma youth live healthier lives at TalkAboutTobacco.com.
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For full press kit assets, including interviews, scripts, b-roll and additional images, visit TalkAboutTobacco.com/media.
Tobacco Stops With Me is a statewide campaign, funded through the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, that provides an efficient, emotional and highly recognizable tobacco-free message for Oklahomans to rally around. By educating the public about the negative effects and impact of tobacco, the goal of Tobacco Stops With Me is to prevent and reduce tobacco use, improving the health and quality of life for all Oklahomans. Tobacco Stops With Me aims to inspire individuals to make positive changes — not only for their own health, but for the health of the entire state as well. Free resources and more information at StopsWithMe.com.
The TSET Healthy Youth Initiative empowers youth to improve health outcomes for themselves and future generations. The initiative includes statewide public health education messaging, a youth-led advocacy program and character building to reduce tobacco use and obesity. The initiative also gives parents resources to support their children in maintaining or developing healthy habits for a lifetime. Visit TSETHealthyYouth.com to learn more.
The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, cultivating innovative and life-changing research and working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public’s health. To learn more, go to TSET.ok.gov.
TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health