Strategy I: Youth Tobacco Prevention and Cessation

Strategy Description

Implement community and/or school policies and/or programs that support prevention and cessation of tobacco use by youth.

Expected Outcomes

Increased number of new policies or programs addressing prevention and/or cessation of tobacco products by youth

It is estimated that approximately 15,300 high school students and 18,600 middle school students in North Carolina currently use a tobacco product, with e-cigarettes being the number one tobacco product used by youth. Of 40% of never tobacco students surveyed, 40.5% of high school and 37.6% of middle school students indicated they may be open to trying e-cigarettes in the future. While cigarette use has shown declines in these populations, 19.7% of high school students and 23% of middle school students that have never smoked indicated they may be open to trying cigarettes. (N.C. Youth Tobacco Survey, 2022)

Recommended Partners

  • TPCB Regional Managers  
  • Parents  
  • Teachers  
  • Coaches  
  • School administration  
  • Civic and community leaders  
  • Dental and health care professionals  
  • Public health  
  • Mental health and substance abuse prevention professionals  
  • Other influencers of youth

Local health departments should engage populations of highest need in the planning, implementation and/or evaluation of evidence-based policies.

Intervention Examples

  • A local school administration was concerned about students using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), so the local health department staff and regional manager presented to the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) and school administration on e-cigarettes and emerging tobacco products. The school then updated their tobacco-free school policy language to state that e-cigarettes are a tobacco product, posted updated tobacco-free signs and implemented the Catch My Breath prevention program to educate students about electronic cigarettes and prevent tobacco initiation. The Catch My Breath program was also useful to educate teachers and parents.
  • A student was caught vaping on campus, so the school’s administration offered the student the opportunity to go through the Healthy Futures program in lieu of In School Suspension. Healthy Futures, an Alternative-to-Suspension program, developed by the Stanford REACH Lab is for students who have been caught using e-cigarettes OR cannabis and/or for any students who are interested in trying to quit”. INDEPTH is another alternative to suspension that may be used to help schools address e-cigarette use in schools. The teacher also provided the QuitlineNC and This is Quitting resource so the student could receive services to help stop the use of tobacco.

Related Programs

The Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch provides support for proven strategies to:

Recommended Tools/Resources

NC Resources

Data Sources

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