CHICAGO -- The Chicago Department of Public Health has launched a new public-education and social-media campaign dedicated to informing youth and families of “the truth about the dangers of e-cigarettes.”
The Vaping Campaign premiered citywide this month over social media with the hashtag #VapingTruth (see example below) and a series of digital and outdoor advertisements scheduled to debut on Dec. 28. The goal of the campaign is “to provide Chicagoans with resources and scientifically proven health information on the risks of using electronic-cigarettes, or vaping.”
“We must encourage our young people to make smart choices so they will live long, healthy lives, and this campaign is part of our comprehensive effort to reduce youth smoking,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “From regulating e-cigarettes to banning the sale of flavored tobacco near our schools, we are committed to enacting every possible strategy to prevent youth from ever picking up smoking.”
The “Vaping” educational campaign highlights areas of concern regarding:
- the highly addictive nature of nicotine
- the toxic chemicals and poisons found in e-liquids
- vaping devices such as e-cigarettes being unregulated at the federal level and “the secrets manufacturers have about what is in the products and how they’re made”
In addition, the campaign includes a toolkit for community and tobacco-prevention organizations to help increase awareness about the known dangers of vaping while continuing to promote and support the use of proven cessation therapies. The toolkit is available online at www.CityofChicago.org/TOBACCO.
Though youth smoking in Chicago is at an all-time low, according to the city, the campaign is dedicated to informing Chicagoans on the dangers of using e-cigarettes and other vapor products. Multiple studies show that use of e-cigarettes by teenagers is skyrocketing, the city said. The CDC's National Youth Tobacco Survey found that use of these products has tripled among middle- and high-school students from 2013 to 2014.
Vaping contains #nicotine & potentially harmful chemicals that can cause cancer #VapingTruthhttps://t.co/Qr5gl4yPiLpic.twitter.com/qGRquG4rcU
— ChiPublicHealth (@ChiPublicHealth) December 23, 2015
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