Back to School Is a Season of Learning. For Adults, Too

By Lacoadia Burkes, Acting Bureau Chief, Tobacco Free Florida

(NAPSI)—For kids across Florida, back-to-school is a time of change—new teachers, new schedules, new friends. For the adults in these students’ lives, this can be a season of learning and growth, too. Parents and caregivers, teachers and staff, coaches and school nurses—you all play a huge role in their health and wellness. This back-to-school season, you can get smart on how to help the next generation grow up free from tobacco and nicotine’s harmful effects.

The first lesson is that if you use tobacco or nicotine products, make back-to-school season when you commit to quit. Whether it’s after the stress of getting classroom supplies or the moments after carline drop-off, there’s probably one cue in your life that’s become connected with nicotine. Plan for those moments. If you have a slip-up, learn from it and be even smarter for your next try! Free support is available when you’re ready. 

You have heard quitting is smart. You may even have tried several times. Quitting isn’t just for you, though. Secondhand smoke causes tens of thousands of deaths each year, and parents who smoke are up to four times more likely to have children who smoke. If you are committed to quitting for your health and theirs, Tobacco Free Florida’s How to Quit initiative can help. TobaccoFreeFlorida.com/HTQ covers setting a quit date, using free quit aids, talking to a doctor, and building a support system.

A second lesson is to learn how kids will encounter tobacco and nicotine today. It’s different from a generation ago. Did you know fewer than 1 in 100 Florida youth currently smoke cigarettes? That’s because of dedicated adults like you. 

But there are concerning numbers, too: Last year, e-cigarette use among Florida youth ticked up again after several years of decline. This may be because kids are less likely to say the adults in their lives are talking to them about tobacco and nicotine’s harmful effects. At Tobacco Free Florida, we urge you to find opportunities to have those conversations in a caring, constructive, and open way.

To get ready for that chat, learn about the new nicotine devices they may encounter in their new friend group, around campus, or on social media. These include things like:

• Oral nicotine products—marketed as an alternative to smokeless tobacco. Goes between gums and lip.
• “Smart” vapes—feature digital screens, built-in games. Kid-friendly flavors like “merry berry” and “cherry pop.” Digital prizes and Bluetooth connectivity strengthen addiction. 
• Disposable e-cigarettes—designed for one use only. Addictive, harmful to the environment, easier to conceal than regular cigarettes.
• Flavored e-cigarettes—the most common type of e-cigarettes used by youth across Florida and nationwide. Kid-friendly packaging, flavors.
• “Heat-not-burn” devices—electronically heat a tobacco stick or capsule. Popular overseas, on the horizon here.
  
  

TobaccoFreeFlorida.com/NewNicotineGeneration has more information including sample images of each type of product. School nurses, who often serve as a first line of student health support, can find resources at TobaccoFreeFlorida.com/ChampionsAgainstNicotine.

Once you’ve “done your homework” about what Florida students will see, the last lesson can be on how to have the conversation that can save a life.

The ride to and from school can be a chance to start the conversation. A billboard you pass or a convenience store ad is a moment to ask what they already know and what they are hearing. A chat after practice can be a time to discuss how tobacco and nicotine harm the heart and lungs. Be patient and remember listening matters as much as talking. Honest information lands harder than scare tactics. One conversation is rarely enough; ongoing is how a message takes hold. 

Back to school season is filled with memories, changes, and decisions that can shape a child’s future. Caring adults can use this as a time to save lives. Visit TobaccoFreeFlorida.com or call 1-877-U-CAN-NOW to get started.

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"This back-to-school season, you can get smart on how to help the next generation grow up free from tobacco and nicotine’s harmful effects, says Lacoadia Burkes, Acting Bureau Chief, Tobacco Free Florida."