Nearly half of high school students in Hawaiʻi and a third of middle school students have tried vaping. We worked with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health to develop and launch Escape the Vape Hawaiʻi, a teen-based vaping prevention campaign to discourage vape use by delivering scientific facts that are relevant, motivating, and culturally appropriate for teens.
One of our newest ads, “Inseparable,” uses an innovative approach that focuses on social responsibility, particularly as it relates to addiction and friends sharing vapes. In research with teens aged 13–17, “Inseparable” was found to be a highly motivating prevention message. Many teens expressed that they didn't want the guilt or responsibility of getting their friends addicted to nicotine.We also developed the ad “Broken Immunity,” which highlights how the chemicals present in vapes can mess with the protective layer of fat and cells in the lungs that help with immunity, leaving teens vulnerable to viruses and infections. We developed this ad based on research insights that teens are motivated by fact-based messages that explain how vaping can compromise their immune system and affect their lung health.
We also developed the ad “Broken Immunity,” which highlights how the chemicals present in vapes can mess with the protective layer of fat and cells in the lungs that help with immunity, leaving teens vulnerable to viruses and infections. We developed this ad based on research insights that teens are motivated by fact-based messages that explain how vaping can compromise their immune system and affect their lung health.
In all of our ads, we feature messaging and images that are culturally appropriate for Hawai‘i teens in order to shift their perception of risk around vaping while also reducing its social appeal. If you'd like to learn more about our approach to creating substance use prevention programs, please visit our tobacco education approach page.
