The vaping trend continues among teens and is hovering over rural communities including Central Ohio’s Ross County.
A community health assessment indicated that Ross County beats the state and national averages for smoking rates.
Public health advocates partnered with Adena Health System to create programs aimed at cutting the number of smokers and treating health problems.
One strategy is called “Catch my Breath.” They will now focus on vaping with the Coordinated Approach to Child Health or Catch my Breath E-cigarette and Juul Prevention program.
Additionally, a grant from the Ohio Department of Health supports a full-time job within Ross County that is focused on smoking/vaping prevention and cessation.
Ross county is on the edge of Appalachia and advocates like Kelly Dennis, who is an Accreditation Specialist at the Ross County Health District said the medical community is working to reassure the public with data versus speculation.
“We don’t have as many environments that are completely smoke-free,” Dennis said. “We have to focus on information sharing that is evidence-based or is science-based that there is data behind us to really convey the message.”