CATCH My Breath is an evidence-based youth vaping prevention program

Reducing Vaping Among Youth and Young Adults

SAMHSA is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation.

AUSTIN, TX, USA, May 27, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) named CATCH My Breath as the only school-level youth vaping intervention in the evidence-based resource guide series Reducing Vaping Among Youth and Young Adults.

"With this guide, SAMHSA’s goal is to inform school administrators, community leaders, educators, parents, policy makers, and others of the rising rates of vaping among youth and the need for targeted prevention programs and policies, as well as to provide a comprehensive vaping reduction strategy," writes Elinore F. McCance-Katz, MD, PhD, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The CATCH My Breath program outcomes cited in the report included:
• Reductions in nicotine vaping use (both lifetime and within the past 30 days);
• Increases in nicotine vaping knowledge;
• Increases in positive perceptions of a vape-free lifestyle; and,
• Reductions in overall tobacco use.

SAMHSA also noted that training was "vital" for successful implementation of CATCH My Breath and to build program capacity.

"CATCH My Breath continues to be recognized as the go-to vaping prevention program for school-aged youth," says national program director Marcella Bianco. "We have worked with countless local and state departments of education and health to implement this program, and being listed as an approved evidence-based program by SAMHSA opens up another important avenue for communities to engage with us to address youth nicotine vaping prevention."

As nicotine remains the most commonly used vaping substance among youth, and data suggest vaping nicotine may introduce the substance to youth who would otherwise not have smoked cigarettes or used nicotine through another tobacco product, it is imperative that holistic, evidence-based prevention strategies be implemented early and often for school-age children.

CATCH My Breath was designed for grades 5-12 and is available at no cost to schools in the United States. The program is disseminated by CATCH Global Foundation and has reached over 1.4 million students in 4,000+ schools, since 2017. To learn more about the program, visit catchmybreath.org

Brooks Ballard
CATCH Global Foundation
+1 512-294-8666
email us here