Campaign Offers Resources to Help Parents and Teachers Talk to Teens About Vaping

Click image to watch a Talk About Tobacco campaign video on YouTube.

Tobacco Stops With Me, a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), recently launched Talk About Tobacco, a comprehensive campaign with resources to help parents and teachers navigate talking to youth about vaping. Resources include conversation guides, interactive games, classroom resources, a vaping guide and an informative blog.

More than 21% of Oklahoma high schoolers use e-cigarettes — that’s more than double the national average (10%). Plus, 60% of parents whose teens vape are unaware it’s happening. The Talk About Tobacco campaign is a powerful tool to prevent kids from starting down the path to a lifetime of addiction.

Find more information and resources at TalkAboutTobacco.com.

TSET Helps Fund Efforts to Stop Underage Tobacco and Vape Use

The TSET Board of Directors approved $57,288 in funding for the Oklahoma Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission to boost efforts to prevent people under 21 from accessing tobacco and vape products.

The ABLE Commission’s project will focus on:

• Compliance Checks: Conducting checks to ensure vape and tobacco suppliers are following the law, especially with new products.
• Law Enforcement Training: Hosting regional trainings for law enforcement officers on Oklahoma’s tobacco laws and how to conduct compliance inspections.
• Student Education: Offering educational programs in middle schools to teach students about the dangers and consequences of using tobacco and vape products.
• Vapor Product Registry Enhancement: Improve the state-mandated vapor product registry to make it easier to use and more accurate.

“The ABLE Commission is excited to partner with TSET, especially in reducing youth access to tobacco and nicotine products,” ABLE Commission Executive Director Brandon Clabes stated. “Our mission is public safety and if we can deter even one child from experimenting or becoming addicted to tobacco and vaping products then we are making a positive difference.”

Read more HERE.

Health Matters with TSET

Learn how to create healthy habits that stick by checking out the Health Matters with TSET. Airing at 9 a.m. every other Monday on News9 in Oklahoma City and every other Wednesday on News on 6 in Tulsa, these segments will offer tips on how to create sustainable habits for healthy living. The most recent segment focused on what parents need to know about vaping. Click HERE to see Health Matters with TSET.

Perspective: Julie Bisbee in the Journal Record School Nutrition is Critical to Student Success School nutrition is vital to the physical and academic well-being of students. In Oklahoma, where 1 in 4 children live in food insecurity, school meals provide a steady source of nutrition that prepares student minds to learn. Multiple studies have shown access to school meals improves academic performance and student behavior, in addition to physical health. Read about several programs in Oklahoma aimed at combatting student hunger.

TSET Better Health Podcast Throwback: Nutrition in Public Schools

The TSET Better Health Podcast is published every other month. On the months without a new release, we invite you to revisit earlier episodes you may have missed. 

Episode 30 of the TSET Better Health Podcast focused on school and child nutrition with Jennifer Weber, executive director of child nutrition at the Oklahoma State Department of Education; Heather Steele and Sheila Russell with Tulsa Public Schools’ Child Nutrition, and Valarie Carter, a classically trained chef, food writer and mom who shares her knowledge on Shape Your Future Healthy Kitchen segments on KJRH in Tulsa 

The podcast is available on TSET's website and everywhere podcasts are listened to: Spotify, TuneIn, Stitcher, PodBean, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts.

Click here to listen.

Meet the Team: Eddie Withers

TSET is staffed by a dedicated and passionate group of people. This month, we would like to introduce Eddie Withers. Eddie Withers serves as a Program Manager at TSET, specializing in statewide initiatives. Holding a Master’s degree in Public Health from American Military University, Withers is dedicated to enhancing community well-being by implementing programs that equip individuals with tools for productive and fulfilling lives. With a background that includes 10 years of military service and 6 years in public health, Eddie brings a diverse and comprehensive perspective to program evaluation and implementation. Read about the rest of the team HERE.