Two-thirds of NYS health care professionals say youth experiencing vaping epidemic

New York State Quitline conducted tobacco cessation survey earlier this year; upcoming webinar on Dec. 12 shares findings from 2,562 responses

New York State Quitline Press Release

Are youth and young adults experiencing a vaping epidemic? According to a recent survey conducted by Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo for the New York State Quitline, 64% of licensed health care professionals throughout the state say “Yes.”

The NY Quitline will explore this revelation and other insights during an upcoming webinar, titled, "Findings from the 2024 Tobacco Cessation and NYS Healthcare Professionals Survey." The NY Quitline's marketing and outreach team disseminates a survey periodically to determine health care professionals' preferences and needs for types of tobacco treatment resources and methods for disseminating information.

The upcoming webinar takes place Thursday, Dec. 12, via Microsoft Teams, from noon to 12:45 p.m. Free registration is available online at https://nysmokefree.com/newsroom. Tony Astran, the NY Quitline's PR and communications manager, spearheaded the survey and will be the webinar's featured presenter.

"Although most Quitline participants tend to be 55 years of age or older who smoke traditional combustible cigarettes, the Quitline also offers support for those seeking to quit the use of electronic cigarettes," Astran said. "Our latest survey results illustrated health care professionals' concerns about a new generation of addiction to nontraditional tobacco products. These findings help us continue to evolve our messaging and services."

A total of 2,562 licensed health care professionals completed the entire survey. A few additional select findings include:

•Compared to other methods of communication, email (70%) is still overwhelmingly the most preferred for receiving tobacco cessation information. This was also the top choice in the previous three surveys conducted by the NY Quitline in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

•Compared to other types of health care professions, dentists tended to respond differently to many of the survey questions. They have a greater preference for direct mail communication, believe use of cannabis is a greater concern than tobacco use among youth and young adults, and find patients less receptive to discussing tobacco cessation.

•Social workers and mental health professionals tend to prefer attending live webinars during the morning hours, while other types of professionals, such as physicians, dentists and pharmacists, prefer attending live webinars at 4 p.m. or later.

•The greater New York City region – including Long Island and the Hudson Valley – tends to have less awareness of NY Quitline support options compared to the rest of the state.

Anyone may contact the NY Quitline by calling 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487) seven days a week. They can also visit nysmokefree.com to connect with a specialist through an online chat, request a call-back or order free nicotine replacement therapy medications. The NY Quitline additionally offers a free texting program to quit smoking or vaping, by texting QUITNOW (English) or DÉJELO YA NY (Spanish) to 333888.

About the New York State Smokers' Quitline

The New York State Smokers' Quitline is a service of the New York State Department of Health and based at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Quitline encourages commercial tobacco and vape product users to talk with their health care professionals and access available Medicaid or health insurance benefits for medication support. All New York residents can call 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487) or text QUITNOW to 333888 for coaching and resources, free of charge, seven days a week beginning at 9 a.m. Visit www.nysmokefree.com for more.

About Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

From the world's first chemotherapy research to the PSA prostate cancer biomarker, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center generates innovations that shape how cancer is detected, treated and prevented worldwide. Driven to eliminate cancer's grip on humanity, the Roswell Park team of 4,000 makes compassionate, patient-centered cancer care and services accessible across New York and beyond. Founded in 1898, Roswell Park was among the first three cancer centers nationwide to become a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and is the only one to hold this designation in upstate New York. To learn more, visit www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email [email protected].