With youth e-cigarette use remaining at epidemic proportions and threatening to addict a new generation to nicotine, Tobacco Free Lancaster County (TFLC, TobaccoFreeLancasterCounty.org) has partnered with Truth Initiative to offer This is Quitting – the first-of-its-kind, free, and anonymous text message quit vaping program. This is Quitting is designed for teens and young adults looking to quit e-cigarettes. The program provides them with tailored advice, cognitive and behavioral coping strategies, and social support to help them quit. Results from a recent clinical trial published by JAMA Internal Medicine demonstrate the program’s effectiveness and found that This is Quitting increased quit rates among young adult vapers age 18-24 by nearly 40% compared to a control group.
“TFLC has partnered with Lincoln Public Schools to develop engaging messaging about this great resource to share where youth are daily: schools, recreation centers, and community organizations,” said Sophia Yelkin, health educator at Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department.
This is Quitting launched in January 2019 and has more than 400,000 enrolled to date. Young people in Lancaster County who want to quit vaping can enroll in the program by texting GHOSTVAPE to 88709.
Funding for Tobacco Free Lancaster County is provided by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services/Tobacco Free Nebraska Program as a result of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. For more information about the program, how to support youth, or to get information for yourself, visit TobaccoFreeLancasterCounty.org.