According to a report in Star Weekly on January 27th, the Australian state of Victoria has introduced a new initiative allowing fifth and sixth grade teachers and health educators to use e-cigarette education materials that align with state curriculum standards. This initiative aims to educate young people about the dangers of e-cigarettes and promote the building of healthier communities.
Data from the 2022-2023 Australian School Student Alcohol and Drug Survey (ASSAD) shows that 13% of 12-15 year old students have used e-cigarettes in the past month, indicating the need for prevention education to be conducted at younger ages.
The "Quit Victoria" organization has collaborated with Monash University, VicHealth, the Victorian Department of Education, the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), the Victorian branch of the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER), and the Independent Schools Victoria to develop a set of free evidence-based e-cigarette education resources for schools in the state of Victoria.
This new material, titled "Seeing Through the Haze", was specifically developed for upper primary school students. It builds upon the foundation of the e-cigarette education resources for grades 7-10 that were released in early 2024, which have been downloaded thousands of times since their release.
The leader of the "Quit Smoking Victoria" organization, Rachel Anderson, stated that these new resources are aimed at equipping younger students with critical thinking skills as they transition into middle school. During this stage, students are more likely to start encountering e-cigarettes, their independence increases, and peer pressure also tends to escalate.
She said, "We hope to prevent children from developing a nicotine addiction by imparting knowledge on why and how to reject e-cigarettes. During a time when children are curious and easily influenced by social media information, starting this preventative education from the primary school stage is crucial. Moreover, aligning these resources with the new Victorian curriculum standards will allow teachers and health educators to seamlessly incorporate them into teaching.
Michelle Murray, the Executive Manager of the Victoria Health Promotion Foundation's Health Promotion System, stated that these new primary school educational resources will play a crucial role in reducing and preventing the harm of e-cigarettes among teenagers.
She said, "Efforts in the field of public health to reduce tobacco use and nicotine addiction have been hugely successful, but we still have a lot of work to do in the face of new products like e-cigarettes that continually seek new ways to entice young people. Therefore, it is crucial to help young people understand the serious impacts of these products, so that we can ensure we protect the next generation from the harm caused by tobacco giants and the e-cigarette industry.
These resources are divided into multiple modules of activities that help students understand the relevant facts about e-cigarettes, understand how societal factors contribute to e-cigarette use, and conduct e-cigarette education activities to drive change. At the same time, these resources also support students in exploring smoking cessation support services and cultivating important health-seeking behaviors.
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