As the Food and Drug Administration reports a dramatic dip in the number of kids vaping, officials in Northern Kentucky are working to keep the trend going.
The FDA’s 2024 survey found that 1.63 million student in middle and high school said they currently vape — that’s compared to 2.13 million in 2023.
That is approximately a 24% decrease from one year to another.
In total, the FDA said those 1.63 million students who vape make up 5.9% of all middle and high school students in the U.S.
Casey Baker, a substance use prevention health educator at the Northern Kentucky Health Department, said Northern Kentucky has “a higher rate of smoking than a lot of the population in Kentucky.”
Despite this, she said she’s encouraged by the national trends.
“It’s a huge public health win for us,” Baker said.
Baker and her team spread awareness about the dangerous of vaping in order to try and curb the number of kids using nicotine and tobacco products.
That work includes a new initiative called “Tobacco-free tailgates.” Baker and her team are spending time at local high school football games to speak directly to students and families about tobacco products.