A new texting tool is available to Hoosier teens who want to quit vaping. The Indiana State Department of Health has partnered with the national group The Truth Initiative to launch the text-to-quit program.
It’s called This is Quitting and sends daily recommendations and support texts on how to quit. Miranda Spitznagle with ISDH says the idea is to use a technology teens are already familiar with.
“If they’re having a craving or needing some support specifically, they’ll get some tips, some inspiration and some other things to kind of help them through that craving and through their quit journey,” Spitznagle says.
State Health Commission Kris Box announced the program Monday. In a new release, she said teen vaping has reached epidemic proportions nationwide.
“While we’d like to see a world where no young person uses these products, the reality is that e-cigarette use in Indiana middle and high school students has increased more than 350 percent since 2012,” Box said in the release. “We have to meet our youth where they are comfortable to help them quit, and texting is a proven way to do that.”
Teens 13 years and older can enroll in the program. If someone’s not ready to quit smoking, they can still sign up for texts to help prepare for quitting. Once the program is completed, users can continue to receive messages for as long as needed.
Contact Darian at dbenson@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @helloimdarian.
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