The provincial renewal of the Tobacco and Vaping Reduction Strategy is pushing for Albertans to reduce the use of tobacco and vaping products across the province, with a focus on youth.
“We worked with the Alberta government and our partners at Campaign for a Smoke-Free Alberta to see this strategy renewed. We are so pleased to see the inclusion of youth vaping,” says Jennifer Michaud, the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s director of Health Policy and Systems for Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
Since the introduction of vaping products, the rate of use among Alberta youth aged 15 to 19 rose to 35 per cent in 2020 from 19 per cent in 2013. From 2015 to 2021, the previous strategy led to a decrease from 18.4 per cent to 11.5 per cent in the province’s overall smoking rate.
Michaud says the overall strategy, initially launched in 2002 and renewed in 2012, reported a reduction in smoking. “But over the last decade or so, we’ve seen a massive increase in youth vaping.”
Strategies include initiating a public education campaign aimed primarily at youth and developing a guidance document for educators in partnership with Alberta Health Services and school officials to assist with the rise in vaping product use in schools.
“We think a huge part of what is going to be helpful and impactful is the engagement with our youth – so, including them in these discussions and ensuring we’re creating education pieces and public awareness campaigns that are relatable and relevant to them,” Michaud notes.
Michaud believes a comprehensive strategy includes prevention, cessation programming and strategies to help develop youth vaping prevention pieces.
“That will mirror the smoking and tobacco cessation strategies we’ve already seen put in place, and it has been effective over the last 20 years.”
According to Michaud, the intent is to strike a committee and get rolling on setting key performance indicators and measurements. “Ensuring we’re focused on evidence-based information, policies and suggestions related to real evidence and real data.”