“In the Skin” Empowers Oklahoma Youth with Vital Health Awareness
OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 4, 2024) – A new educational message from the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust’s (TSET) Healthy Youth Initiative exposes the toxic chemicals commonly found in vapes and the long-term damage they do to DNA.
The latest message package, “In the Skin,” launches January 9. The spot uses visual effects to show how chemicals in vapes can mutate DNA, which can cause cancer.
“It is critical teens recognize the dangers associated with vaping,” said TSET Executive Director Julie Bisbee. “This powerful message shows how every vape hit may pose a threat to long-term health.”
After viewing “In the Skin” with a focus group of teenagers, some participants listed cancer as one of their top reasons not to vape. One heavy vape user said viewing the message made them think more about how every hit could be increasing their risk for cancer.
Beginning January 9, “In the Skin” will air on TV, cable and radio networks that feature family programming to help spark conversation between teenagers and their parents. Oklahomans can also interact with the campaign digitally until March through social media posts on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and YouTube.
“In the Skin” is a part of the Behind the Haze campaign, which informs teens about the dangers of vaping. Behind the Haze is a part of the TSET Healthy Youth Initiative —a statewide public health education program geared toward Oklahoma youth ages 13-18.
You can view “In the Skin” and other youth tobacco prevention messages by visiting the TSET Healthy Youth Initiative website: TSETHealthyYouth.com. Additionally, TSET has free healthy youth resources for educators and health care providers available for order at TSETHealthyYouth.com/order.
Oklahoma teens struggling with tobacco use can connect to free quit services through My Life, My Quit at MyLifeMyQuit.com or by texting “Start My Quit” to 36072.
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The TSET Healthy Youth Initiative empowers Oklahoma 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.
My Life, My Quit is a free program to help Oklahoma teens, ages 13-17, quit tobacco and e-cigarettes. By offering free live texting, web chat and phone calls, My Life, My Quit supports teens through the steps of quitting tobacco. Funded by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, these free services for Oklahoma teens can be found at MyLifeMyQuit.com or by texting “Start My Quit” to 36072.
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 Oklahoma.gov/TSET.
TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health