Tackling youth vaping. Alright, peeps, listen up! There’s some big stuff going down in Australia to help young folks kick the habit of vaping. The government’s shelling out $2.2 million to figure out ways to stop vaping among the youth.
A Mom’s Struggle
Meet Samantha Odo, a mom who’s been supporting her 18-year-old son in his battle against vaping. She says it’s been a real challenge finding what works to help him quit. But hey, staying busy and hanging out with supportive pals seem to make a difference. She emphasizes how important it is to have a solid crew backing you up because, let’s face it, peer pressure is a real deal.
Her son’s got a couple of reasons to quit—health worries about vaping and a dream to save up for a car. Samantha’s right there by his side, cheering him on and being a rock when he needs it. They’re figuring this whole thing out together, step by step.
Getting Some Clearer Advice
Now, researchers are stepping in to help out caregivers like Samantha and young vapers like her son. The Australian government’s funding research to find better ways to treat nicotine addiction and prevent vaping habits.
Funding for Prevention
The National Health and Medical Research Council in Oz is putting $2.2 million into understanding why young people vape and what can help them stop. Dr. Emily Stockings from the University of Sydney got a chunk of that money—$1.5 million—to work with young peeps and design resources to stop and cut down on vaping.
She’s teaming up with nearly 20,000 youngsters aged 11 to early 20s to get the lowdown on vaping habits. They wanna know what’s up with the new vape products, where these kids are getting their stuff from, and if vaping is leading them to cigarettes.
The Vaping Dilemma
Here’s the scoop: if vaping gets tricky due to government rules, some folks hooked on nicotine might turn to cigarettes. Dr. Stockings says there’s evidence that if you vape, you’re more likely to pick up smoking, like three times more likely!
Empowering the Youth
The plan is simple: understand why kids vape, and then work with them to resist the temptation. Dr. Stockings and her crew wanna give these kids the power to say, “Nah, vaping’s not my thing.” They’re aiming to help out groups at higher risk, like indigenous kids and those in remote or low-income areas.
Social Media Influence
Hold onto your hats, folks! Social media’s a big player in this vaping game. Dr. Carmen Chia Wern Lim from the University of Queensland got $660,000 to suss out how all that pro-vaping stuff on social media affects young minds. She’s on a mission to figure out how to shield these peeps from that influence.
She’s kicking it off by checking out what kind of content these kids are scrolling through and then chatting with them to figure out what could put them off vaping.
Influence and Accessibility
Dr. Lim’s not stopping there. She’s also looking into how store locations and accessibility play a role in youth vaping. But here’s the kicker—she says all these efforts to stop vaping are facing a big roadblock: the crazy amount of pro-vaping posts flooding social media without any age restrictions!
Conclusion
So, there you have it. Australia’s diving headfirst into understanding and stopping youth vaping. They’re getting down and dirty with the research to give these young guns the tools they need to say “no” to vaping and stay healthy.
