• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
John Guilfoil Public Relations LLC

John Guilfoil Public Relations LLC

PR for Police, Fire, Schools and Municipal Government

  • About
    • About
    • Team
    • Internships
  • Services
    • Content
    • Strategy
    • Standards
    • COVID-19 Crisis Communications
    • Work With Us
  • Our Work
    • Portfolio
    • Sectors We Serve
  • News
    • COVID-19 News
    • Client News
    • JGPR News
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

Arlington High School Students Receive Grant to Research Peer Vaping

Arlington Youth Health and Safety Coalition Director Karen Koretsky is pleased to announce that the Arlington High School's 84 Club received a grant to study vaping in their community and school.

July 16, 2019 Leah Comins City/Town News

July 16, 2019 by Leah Comins

For immediate release

Retained by the Town of Arlington Health and Human Services Department

Arlington Board of Health
Christine Bongiorno, Public Health Director
27 Maple Street
Arlington, MA 02476

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Media Contact: Jessica Sacco
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Arlington High School Students Receive Grant to Research Peer Vaping

ARLINGTON — Arlington Youth Health and Safety Coalition Director Karen Koretsky is pleased to announce that the Arlington High School’s 84 Club received a grant to study vaping in their community and school.

The 84 Club works to educate their peers about the tactics used by big tobacco companies to target youth. The $4,000 grant was awarded by Health Resource in Action, which manages the 84 movement for the Boston Public Health Department. The grant was twofold: it allowed the club’s students to map tobacco retailers in Arlington and survey their peers to understand vaping use and perceptions within Arlington’s schools.

As part of their research, students used the addresses of Arlington vape retailers to create a map of the locations on the BatchGeo.com. Students were able to see which locations were closest to schools, public parks and playgrounds. They also visited these retailers to create a “photovoice” project that combines photographs and narratives to document their perceptions.

The group also put on an Arlington High School vaping study, which included responses from 834 students and 45 teachers across all grade levels. The study indicated that while there is a higher percentage of students who have tried vaping than reported in a 2016 survey, only 17 percent of recent respondents reported using a vape regularly. (Eighty-three percent of respondents reported that they have not vaped in the last 30 days.)

The vaping use rate among the Arlington High School community is less than the national average. According to the 2018 Monitoring the Future survey, America’s teens report a dramatic increase in their use of vaping devices in just a single year, with 37.3 percent of 12th graders reporting “any vaping” in the past 12 months, compared to just 27.8 percent in 2017. Reports of past year marijuana vaping also increased, with a 13.1 percent rate of use for 12th-graders, up from 9.5 percent last year.

“Teens are clearly attracted to the marketable technology and flavorings seen in vaping devices; however, it is urgent that teens understand the possible effects of vaping on overall health; the development of the teen brain and the potential for addiction,” said Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Research tells us that teens who vape may be at risk for transitioning to regular cigarettes, so while we have celebrated our success in lowering their rates of tobacco use in recent years, we must continue aggressive educational efforts on all products containing nicotine.”

During their work, students gained new skills in survey construction, data collection and data analysis, and received public speaking consultation from a trainer from The 84, a statewide movement of students fighting tobacco use based out of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

“Public health recognizes the importance of involving stakeholders in a collaborative effort, and students were able to experience this,” Koretsky said. “They participated in a fair and inclusive process in order to inform and share ownership of the problem and project and amplified the voice of Arlington students.”

Koretsky and Sagar Desai from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health mentored the students on their research. Club members presented their findings to the Arlington Board of Health and members of the Arlington High School administration in June. They also made suggestions for potential new regulations or restrictions that can help keep their peers safe. The 84 Club will also use what they have learned to strategize for future prevention and outreach activities.

###

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

City/Town News Arlington,  Arlington Youth Health and Safety Coalition,  Student Research,  vaping

Primary Sidebar


Email Updates

Email [email protected] if you wish to be placed on a SPECIFIC email list for your beat, agency or community. Or enter your email address here to subscribe for ALL updates from JGPR and our clients.

Join 9,943 other subscribers


Recent News

  • Town of Hingham Announces COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic for First Responders in Town January 16, 2021
  • Towns of Hingham, Hull, Scituate and Cohasset Continue to Advocate for Transit Services as Schedule Changes Soon to Take Effect January 15, 2021
  • North Reading Fire Department Reminds Residents of Ice Safety Tips January 15, 2021
  • Enfield Fire District 1 Shares Cold Weather, Ice Safety Tips January 15, 2021
  • Ipswich Town Hall and Council on Aging to Temporarily Close Due to Local Rise in COVID-19 Cases January 15, 2021

Content. Strategy. Standards.

When you need help, turn to the award-winning team at the John Guilfoil Public Relations Agency.


Contact Us Work With Us

Footer

Always Open

Call us: 617-993-0003

We’re available 24/7/365.

Location

Main Office
Northern New England

8 Prospect St.
Georgetown, MA 01833
617-993-0003

Southern New England
409 Pond St. Unit 8
Braintree, MA 02184
781-428-3299

Award Winning

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

Stay up-to-date with breaking JGPR client news.

Subscribe to this website

Email [email protected] if you wish to be placed on a SPECIFIC email list for your beat, agency or community. Or enter your email address here to subscribe for ALL updates from JGPR and our clients.

Join 9,943 other subscribers

Copyright © 2021 John Guilfoil Public Relations, LLC Log in · Privacy Policy