Dr. Alayna Tackett Youth Vaping Study
What was once a popular craze among young adults has now become an epidemic. Across the United States, more than 150 teens have suffered a vaping-related illness. Due to higher concentrations of nicotine, research suggests that vaping is even harder to quit than smoking. The scientific study of prevention and cessation of electronic tobacco products has become more important than ever. In this video, Dr. Alayna Tackett of the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center describes her groundbreaking project researching the respiratory effects of e-cigarette use among youth.
Dr. Tackett is an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC). Dr. Tackett earned a PhD from OSU and postdoctoral fellowships and accreditations from Brown and OUHSC. She has a prolific body of work including numerous publications and grants. She specializes in studying the effects of electronic tobacco use on children and young adults. With the rapid developments of the harmful effects of vaping and e-cigarettes, Dr. Tackett’s research offers clarity in the search for solutions to a global epidemic. Her diverse research background provides a uniquely comprehensive approach to the amorphous landscape of electronic tobacco use.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has given a name to vaping-related illness: EVALI, or e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury. The recent surge in EVALI-related illness and deaths have triggered public outcry and action from tobacco prevention advocates not unlike what Big Tobacco experienced decades ago. While research is still in preliminary stages with regulatory challenges, some studies suggest that black market THC vaping products are the ones to blame. Schools and states have taken steps to curb youth vaping, such as creating presentations and taking punitive measures. However, with industry marketing targeting children, public health advocates have a challenge on their hands to mitigate the craze.
News highlights:
- There’s Not Just One Vape Crisis — There’s Three
- School Districts Sue Juul, Saying Student Vaping Drains Resources
- Researchers find e-cigarettes cause lung cancer in mice in first study tying vaping to cancer
- Prudential to start charging same insurance rates to vapers as traditional smokers
- Breaking up with my Juul: why quitting vaping is harder than quitting cigarettes