“Caught in a Mood” shows Oklahoma teens the emotional impact of vaping
OKLAHOMA CITY — A new campaign educating teens on how nicotine harms their mood will launch Sept. 19. The campaign is part of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust’s (TSET) Healthy Youth Initiative.
“Caught in a Mood” uses the story of a fishing trip gone wrong to show teens how vaping can increase irritability, agitation and stress. “Understanding how nicotine affects young minds is important information for teens,” said Julie Bisbee, TSET executive director. “With ‘Caught in a Mood,’ we show how nicotine can change their daily lives and mental well-being, helping them make better choices for their future.”
The impact of nicotine not only immediately affects a young person’s health, but their future too. Youth smokers are more likely to develop severe levels of nicotine addiction compared to adults, which leads to continued tobacco use as they grow older. Nicotine narrows blood vessels, increases blood pressure and puts added strain on the heart. Consuming nicotine at a young age is dangerous because it alters a teen’s brain, which is still developing until age 25. Early use of nicotine can cause harmful effects that include memory, learning and behavioral problems.
“Caught in a Mood” will be shown across Oklahoma on multiple social media platforms including Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and YouTube under the Down and Dirty campaign.
To view “Caught in a Mood” and other youth tobacco prevention messages, visit the TSET Healthy Youth Initiative website at TSETHealthyYouth.com. Additionally, TSET has free healthy youth resources for educators and health care providers available 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.
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.