New data highlights the need for targeted services
OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 17, 2024) — The percentage of Oklahoma high school students attempting to quit using tobacco products, including vapes, is on the rise. According to the most recent data, 58.7% of students who used tobacco in the past year have tried to quit - up from 45.3% in 2017. This data comes from the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), highlighting a growing trend in youth tobacco quit efforts.
To meet this positive trend, the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) highlights the importance of programs that provide the right support to help teens quit.
“It is encouraging to see more young people understanding the importance of quitting tobacco,” said Julie Bisbee, TSET executive director. “Research from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows most adults with a tobacco addiction began using as adolescents. Young people making quit attempts should be applauded, and have access to personalized support to ensure a successful and lasting quit that will ensure a healthier transition into adulthood.”
Teens ready to quit can turn to TSET’s free programs: Quit the Hit, a 5-week Instagram-based support group, and My Life My Quit™, offering personalized confidential support.
Quit the Hit offers aged-based group chats in Instagram, moderated by a quit coach. The messages include daily educational and video content, coping strategies, quit tools, group challenges and peer support. Teens and young adults aged 13-24 interested in quitting can go to QuitTheHitNow.com to learn more. Enrollment is limited, but a waitlist guarantees those interested can claim the next available spot.
“If I didn’t have Quit the Hit, I don’t think I would’ve ever quit,“ said Cal P., an Oklahoma teen who used the service. “I probably would've went back to the same ways, but because the Quit the Hit program was there, I think I was finally able to completely quit.”
My Life, My Quit™ offers free and confidential support to teens 13-17 to help them quit all forms of tobacco, including vaping, smoking and smokeless tobacco. By visiting MyLifeMyQuit.com or texting "Start My Quit" to 36072, teens can connect to free live texting and web chat support personalized for them.
Learn more about how TSET supports youth quitting tobacco by visiting TSETHealthyYouth.com. Free resources for educators and health care providers are also available to order at TSETHealthyYouth.com/order.
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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.
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