The U.S. Surgeon General has identified the use of e-cigarettes, known as vaping, as an epidemic among our youth, addicting a new generation to nicotine. In addition, the growing number of cases of lung injury and deaths associated with e-cigarette use reported to CDC adds to the urgency in addressing this epidemic.

The Massachusetts Youth Health Survey (MYHS, 2017) reports 20.1% of high schoolers currently use e-cigarettes while 10% of middle schoolers have tried e-cigarettes. Since the MYHS report, the vaping epidemic has risen nationally at an alarming rate with an additional 1.5 million more youth using e-cigarettes from 2017 – 2018 (National Youth Tobacco Survey, 2018).

Given the vaping epidemic among youth in Massachusetts, the Center for Tobacco Treatment Research and Training at the University of Massachusetts Medical School responded to school nurses’ requests for assistance in helping students quit by collaborating with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and interested schools in the development of a customized vaping cessation initiative. A school nurse working group from across Massachusetts was convened to (1) gather information about relevant issues in their schools and resources needed, and (2) guide the development of practical resources for students and school personnel.

Working group members provided input on: (1) the vaping environment in their schools, (2) cessation needs, and (3) barriers to assisting students who vape to quit, including lack of quitting resources and knowledge about vaping. Information gained from the working group and a continuous refinement process was used to develop and finalize vaping cessation resources for schools, school nurses and youth including: (1) brief student materials on vaping addiction and available resources, and (2) brief provider’s guide and a more comprehensive clinical protocol with booklet for school nurses and other providers to assist youth dependent on nicotine through the process of quitting vaping.