Press Release
TORONTO, ON, May 31, 2024 — In alignment with World No Tobacco Day, the Lung Health Foundation has partnered with Ontario’s Public Health Units to introduce the Brief Conversations Toolkit, a robust bilingual online resource that aims to shrink the unprecedented youth vaping crisis in Canada by increasing brief contact intervention (BCI) knowledge and application among those who work with or care for the nation’s youth.
For parents, guardians, teachers, coaches, mentors, youth workers, counsellors, community leaders and the many others invested in the health and well-being of Canada’s under-30 population, the Brief Conversations Toolkit serves to empower caring adults by demonstrating the evidence based BCI behavioural change concept through simple lessons with video and downloadable resources.
An invaluable roadmap that is practical, supportive and free for all, the content of the Brief Conversations Toolkit was developed by public health experts at Ontario Public Health Units and is hosted by Quash, the judgement-free youth vaping and smoking quit program powered by Lung Health Foundation. The Toolkit adds a new element to the Quash website, offering adult allies quick and easy instructions for constructive talks about vaping and smoking. “The partnership between the group melded seamlessly and Lung Health Foundation considers the collaboration invaluable and essential,” says Erin Dufour, Implementation Manager for Quash at LHF. Operating since World No Tobacco Day 2021, Quash was introduced earlier this month in more than 100 Ontario high schools in partnership with the Ministry of Education.
About the Toolkit
Lung Health Foundation CEO Jessica Buckley says: “Life is busy, but you can make a life-changing impact in less than three minutes. Brushing up on your short conversation skills is an effective way to engage with youth using a sensitive and non-judgmental approach that both motivates and supports them.”
According to Buckley, the urgency of the youth vaping crisis and the potential impact of the Brief Conversations Toolkit have never been greater. “Daily vaping rates are still too high, and we need to see them come down.”
Jeff Moco, Health Educator/Youth Engagement Coordinator of Chatham-Kent Public Health, and co-chair of the working group says, “We are proud to have supported the development of this toolkit with our public health unit colleagues from across Ontario and its launch this World No Tobacco Day. As public health staff, we want to encourage all youth allies to engage in meaningful conversations with youth about vaping. Together, this will help us to support youth behaviour change and increased access to programs and supports across our communities.”
For anyone who engages with youth, the Brief Conversations Toolkit recommends starting with these two steps:
and then
About the issue of youth vaping
About the Lung Health Foundation:
The Lung Health Foundation (LHF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending gaps in the prevention, diagnosis, and care of lung disease in Canada. It invests in the future by driving groundbreaking research and gives individuals with living experience, and their families, the essential programs and support they need today. Building on the legacy of the Ontario Lung Association (OLA), which for over a century served as the recognized leader, voice, and primary resource in lung health, LHF has expanded its efforts nationally. To learn more, visit lunghealth.ca or for further assistance email info@lunghealth.ca. Visit LHF on Instagram @lunghealthfoundation, Facebook at lunghealthfoundation/, and on X at @LungHealthFdn.
About the Quash program:
Developed with funding from Health Canada and designed with the help of passionate youth and experts in the field, Quash is the Lung Health Foundation’s free vaping and smoking cessation program. It combines a judgement-free mobile quit app with comprehensive facilitator training and a resource-rich website (quashapp.com).
About the Youth Nicotine Dependence Advisory Committee:
The YNDAC is a partnership of Public Health Units and other organizations, groups, and agencies with a focus on youth commercial tobacco, vaping and nicotine product use prevention, cessation and enforcement in Ontario. The committee works to provide a forum for provincial partners to collaborate to develop, implement and evaluate a comprehensive, coordinated, evidence-informed approach to reduce rates of nicotine addiction among Ontario youths by:
FOR MEDIA INTERVIEWS AND BROADCAST SEGMENTS:
Contact
Rob Bailey
Email: rbailey@brandstandpr.com
Phone: 201-819-1134
Margo Rapport
Email: margo@margorapport.com
Phone: 416-895-5672
IHT6