FDA Sending “The Real Cost” E-Cigarette Prevention Posters to All High Schools; New E-Cigarette Resources Developed for Public Health Groups
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working with Scholastic to distribute youth e-cigarette prevention posters to every high school in the United States. These posters were developed as part of FDA’s “The Real Cost” E-Cigarette Prevention Campaign, which launched in September 2018, and aim to educate teens on the dangers of e-cigarette use. The posters are intended to be displayed in high school bathrooms – a location where teens are often faced with the decision to use e-cigarettes – and deliver snarky, hard-hitting messages such as:
- “Strangely enough, some students come in here to put crap into their bodies. Vapes can contain some of the same cancer-causing chemicals found in cigarettes.”
- “Some of the grossest things in this bathroom are in that vape. Vaping can expose your lungs to acrolein, which can cause irreversible damage.”
The posters were initially distributed last fall as part of the campaign launch to more than 10,000 high schools. Due to high demand, FDA, in conjunction with Scholastic, will now send posters to the more than 20,000 remaining public and private high schools in the United States. Schools do not need to request these posters; we’re proactively mailing them directly to schools.
In addition to providing the “The Real Cost” campaign posters to high schools, FDA has developed two new posters for use by doctors, youth groups, churches, state and local public health agencies, and others who may find these resources helpful in educating youth on the dangers of e-cigarette use. The posters, which also address the potential health consequences of e-cigarette use, are available for download or for print via the CTP Exchange Lab.
