Education and health workers have joined forces in local schools in a bid to help young people quit vaping.
Stirling councillors heard last Friday that an individualised approach in one school had already helped one pupil to stop for almost two months.
But more work is being done across the board to call a halt to the increasing number of young people who are using vapes.
At last Thursday’s full Stirling Council meeting, Conservative councillor Paul Henke asked what programmes had been undertaken or were planned in schools to raise awareness of the dangers of vaping and to encourage any young people who already vape to quit.
Depute convener of children and young people, Labour councillor Margaret Brisley, said: “Vaping comes under the substance misuse section of the Health and Wellbeing curriculum.
“Schools have been provided with teaching materials to support the education of young people on the effects of vaping.
Schools address vaping in their P&E delivery in S1-S3 with many schools adding in vaping to the curriculum delivery within the service phase.
“Schools use resources such as IAMME [a positive mental health app for young people] and resources from ASH. These resources are available for practitioners on the Health and Wellbeing glow tile and they are also shared on the YoungScot Stirling portal.
“The youth participation team are providing information to young people and also speaking with shop owners about restricting the selling of vapes to young people.
“The youth workers in schools can also work with targeted groups of young people at the school’s request.”
Councillor Brisley said schools have also been worked with NHS colleagues to provide support to young people.
She added: “For example, in one school individualised support was provided to a young person who felt he was addicted to vapes.
“He has now stopped using vapes successfully for around eight weeks.
“Another school have worked with their school nurse and campus officer to provide support with the delivery of the information and are developing their approach to Personal and Social Education in the senior phase including further information around the effects of vaping.
“Finally, a Health and Wellbeing working group has been formed within the authority to take forward work prioritised after the health and wellbeing census.
“The group will consider a strategic approach to enabling practitioners.”
Councillor Henke said he could see the issue was “being taken very seriously and a great deal of effort is going into addressing the problem”, asking whether the problem was “static, increasing, decreasing because I think it’s something that has to be addressed as a matter of urgency”.
Councillor Brisley said: “I think this is something we’ll continue to monitor.
“This work is being prioritised and officers are treating it seriously but will continue to look at it.”
Stirling Council is one of 18 councils who are actively calling on the Scottish Government to ban disposable e-cigarettes (ie vapes) amid growing health and environmental concerns.
The Scottish Government is currently conducting a review - led by Zero Waste Scotland - of single-use vapes which includes consideration of a ban.
