The Tobacco Education and Prevention Coalition for Porter County, in affiliation with the Valparaiso University College of Nursing and Health Professions, hosted a free virtual community conversation, Sweet Deception: Consequences of Nicotine Addiction, on Tuesday, October nineteenth. The free conversation was facilitated by Adams Radio Group’s Region radio personality, entertainer, and former smoker, Mike Bonaventura.
The effort was part of a larger effort driven by the Tobacco Education and Prevention Coalition for Porter County to educate parents, educators, policy-makers and community members about the intentional tobacco industry ploys targeting our youth and other marginalized populations to addict them to nicotine through e-cigarettes. Flavored tobacco products, including menthol flavored products, are utilized by the majority of e-cigarette users. “Marginalized populations and youth are intentionally targeted by the tobacco industry in an attempt to increase sales of e-cigarettes and other newer forms of nicotine. Companies even try to fool consumers by claiming to produce “tobacco-free” products when they are simply switching to lab created nicotine which is still addictive.” said Carrie Higgins, Program Director of the Tobacco Education and Prevention Coalition for Porter County.
According to Resource Officer, Lt. Jason Praschak of the Porter County Sheriff’s Department stated that “parents should be on the lookout for devices that look like thumb drives, crayons, or other common items. Educate your children before they come into contact with vape devices, because they are going to come into contact with them.” Sgt. Chris Swickard, Resource Officer at Duneland School Corporation, commented that “A lot of the problems we are running into at Duneland is that a lot of the parents are providing these devices for their kids because some parents think they’re safer alternative to tobacco. It is a big problem in the schools.”
Effects on the mental health of nicotine addiction were also discussed. Panel member Todd Willis, Director of Prevention and Education with Porter-Starke Services, Inc. addressed these issues. He provided data and examples about the increase in the usage of e-cigarettes and the impact of vaping on mental health while emphasizing that “parents are buying them because have been indoctrinated to think that this is a preventative tool, which it is not.” Willis also stated, “We know that there is eight times greater odds of severe substance by e-cigarette users compared to those who hadn’t smoked.” Vapers are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression, while those who used e-cigarettes are significantly more likely to have mental health histories of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, gambling disorder, anxiety, and to report low self-esteem, according to a 2019 study from the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists.
Nicotine users up to twenty-five years of age are much more likely to become lifetime nicotine addicts due to the fact that brain development is still underway until then. Willis revealed, “there is a window of opportunity, but increased vulnerability, where the developing brain of teens is altered by nicotine as it impacts memory, attention, auditory processing, impulse control, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and sleep changes. Nicotine primes adolescent brains for addiction.”
Karen Allen, Dean of the Valparaiso University College of Nursing and Health Professions, believes these community conversations to be vital exchanges between community members and health professionals. "These conversations for the community that Director Higgins has organized have been excellent. However, this one on flavored nicotine, addictions, and mental health of adolescents was phenomenal. It was information critical for healthcare professionals, teachers, researchers and policy makers to have heard. The experts were knowledgeable and passionate, and what was offered can change the landscape for future generations. You do not want to miss the next one." The next community conversation will be held next fall. Contact carolyn.higgins@valpo.edu to receive notification of future community conversations or to join coalition efforts.
The recording of this event is available on YouTube at TEPC Porter County. Resources for parents, adolescents and the general public on cessation and various tobacco-related issues are available at valpo.edu/tepc/ or on Facebook at TEPCPorterCounty.
About the Tobacco Education and Prevention Coalition for Porter County (TEPCPC)
The Tobacco Education and Prevention Coalition for Porter County is a community-based coalition comprised of a network of diverse partners dedicated to saving lives and improving the quality of life for citizens of Porter County. The Coalition aspires to save lives by reducing tobacco use and eliminating health disparities related to tobacco use by protecting residents from secondhand smoke; preventing and reducing youth tobacco use and access to tobacco products; and improving cessation services to assist smokers in quitting. The TEPCPC is one of 49 coalitions throughout Indiana that is funded through a grant from the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Commission. The TEPCPC is affiliated with the Valparaiso College of Nursing and Health Professions who serves as the lead agency for the grant. For more information, visit TEPCPorterCounty on Facebook or the Coalition website at www.valpo.edu/tepc/.