Teen vaping in the U.S. is at its lowest rate in 10 years according to new data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Utah is following a similar downward trend, but a change in information collection could make future data less clear.
Since its 2019 peak, vaping among Utah’s youth fell five percentage points from 12.4% to 7.4% in 2023 according to the Student Health and Risk Prevention survey.
The SHARP survey is conducted by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services every other spring. It is designed to assess substance abuse along with risks and challenges faced by middle and high school students throughout the state.
However, the Utah Legislature passed a bill in January allowing schools to opt out of student behavior surveys and requiring school districts to have parental consent to administer them.
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services Tobacco Prevention and Control program media coordinator Aubri Devashrayee said this can skew future data reporting on substance use among teens.
“We aren't getting as representative of data from the different schools, particularly in schools that are in areas that have more of a low-income population,” Devashrayee said. “That will definitely affect things because we do see higher use rates within youth and adults in lower-income populations.”
Schools with lower vaping rates could be more inclined to participate, Devashrayee said, and those with higher rates could opt out because they don’t want their data released.
Information from the survey is collected from students anonymously. Teens get the final say in participation and can stop or skip questions at any time.
There is a possibility students are not telling the truth in their results, Devashrayee said, but the confidential nature of the survey could help kids to be more honest. The next SHARP survey under these changes will be conducted in 2025.
Current research shows that fewer Utah teens are vaping compared to years past. Linnea Fletcher, health promotion and prevention director for the Utah County Health Department, said this can be attributed to increased awareness.
“I think a lot of it is with education. School administrators, to parents and to teachers,” Fletcher said. “Especially when parents understand and they can have conversations with their youth about the dangers of nicotine.”
The CDC recommends education from trusted adults and organizations to help youth reject or quit vaping.
The Utah County Health Department has an active youth coalition that works to educate their peers, as well as state and local leaders about the harms of vaping.
Reduced access to vape products helps to protect youth, too, Devashrayee said. The Legislature passed a bill in March that bans the sale of flavored vapes in the state.
“Banning products is an effective way to limit nicotine usage, especially initiation with youth. And one of the most appealing things we had seen youth be very drawn to was the flavors in these nicotine products,” they said.
The FDA found eight out of 10 teens who vape use flavored products in their 2024 Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey.
Even with the declines in youth vaping, Devashrayee said there is still work to be done, especially in communities where environmental factors, stressors and systemic oppression have led to disproportionate use historically.
The Utah County Health Department has multiple approaches to see this decrease continue. One is prevention.
“The next is cessation,” Fletcher said. “Being able to help individuals who do have used tobacco products in any way or form that they are able to have services to help them to quit.”
The state of Utah offers coaching and resources to help individuals quit nicotine. My Life, My Quit is for youth up to 18 years of age and Way to Quit is for those 18 and up.
