Talking to your kids about the dangers of vaping
MADISON, Wis. — Clever marketing has made vaping attractive to kid and teens, but is it really safer than cigarettes?
Health experts from SSM Health are laying out some of the risks parents should know about, even though they’ve been marketed as “cleaner” and “healthier” than traditional cigarettes.
But vaping pens and e-cigs can still pose negative health impacts for kids and teens. SSM Health pediatric cardiologist Andrea Rock describes them as “evil genius” because they are highly-effective nicotine delivery systems.
“It’s really some biological evil genius technology from the nicotine companies that delivers higher doses, more quickly, of nicotine,” says Dr. Rock, “(It) still has the same effect as smoking cigarettes as far as elevating your blood pressure, causing remodeling and stiffening of the arteries, and causing damage to the insides of the arteries. So we’re seeing it as a pretty addictive, very effective, nicotine delivery method that still has all the negative health effects from traditional tobacco products.”
Dr. Rock says if your teen is already vaping, have an open and honest discussion about the risks and damage that vaping can cause.
If you smoke or vape and are trying to quit, talk to your kids about the experience you’re going through.
Dr. Rock also says the best surefire way to avoid addiction is to never start.
Our Time for Kids: Recipe for Health team is asking what you want to hear about. Let us know what health topics you’re interested in or share your family’s health story online.
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