School based interventions to increase electronic cigarette awareness among adolescents

Use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are increasingly popular among the adolescent population. Since e-cigarettes have only been available starting in 2007, long term health risks associated with its use is unknown. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends increasing regulation of e-cigarettes as the chemicals it contains is not safe for adolescent use. From an educational perspective, the purpose of this field study is to propose a multi-modal comprehensive educational intervention based in the high school setting. The goal of this educational intervention is to increase adolescent awareness of the health risks associated with e-cigarettes with the hopes o f decreasing its use among this population. This educational intervention is supported by an evidence based comprehensive literature review and utilizes the underlying framework of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. The resulting recommendations for this educational intervention include use of both traditional lecture style approaches and use of peer discussions and demonstrations throughout the year long teaching curriculum. Preventive educational measures should also start at an earlier age such as during middle school. Conclusions from this field study identified a gap in knowledge among adolescents' awareness of e-cigarettes. Lastly, more research is needed to not only examine the long term health effects of e-cigarette use on adolescent development but also the outcomes of educational interventions on reducing rates of e-cigarette use.