PSU receives grant from CVS Health Foundation to prevent teen e-cigarette use

PLYMOUTH — New Hampshire has the nation’s highest percentage of high school students reporting daily use of electronic vapor products, or e-cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey. To help address this growing problem, Plymouth State University’s health and physical education teacher certification program has received a $48,000 CVS Health Foundation grant to implement CATCH My Breath, an educational program that provides middle and high school students with skills to resist peer pressure and other influences.

CATCH, an acronym for Coordinated Approach to Child Health, includes classroom lessons, peer-led activities and social and community support to educate teens about the dangers of e-cigarettes.

“As evidenced by the recent outbreak of vaping-related lung illness in the U.S., it is clear that the use of these products can have dire consequences, especially for our youth who are susceptible to becoming addicted before they even realize what the risks are,” said Timothy Losee, Ph.D., assistant professor of health and human performance. “This grant from the CVS Health Foundation puts Plymouth State at the forefront of combatting this serious problem here in New Hampshire, and gives us an opportunity to educate and inform thousands of students across the state on the risks associated with e-cigarette use to help them make better decisions.”

Through January 2020, students in the PSU health and physical education teacher certification program preparing to complete student teaching or field experiences will receive CATCH My Breath training. They will implement the program in 35 middle and high schools in the spring 2020.

Before participating, students will complete a survey around their attitudes and behaviors toward e-cigarettes, and then will take the survey again one week after completing the program. PSU is collaborating with Springfield College in Mass., Manhattan and the Sage colleges in New York, and Monmouth College in New Jersey to implement the program and collect data on the program’s impact on student learning through June 2020.

Student-teaching mentors from participating schools will also receive training from PSU to continue CATCH My Breath programming after internships and field experiences are complete. PSU will also offer training sessions in spring 2020 for health and physical education teachers from other New Hampshire schools.

For more information about CATCH My Breath programming at PSU, visit catchmybreath.plymouthcreate.net, or contact Dr. Losee at catchmybreath@plymouth.edu. To learn more about Plymouth State University, visit plymouth.edu.