In this presentation, Evan Wang aims to spread awareness and education surrounding the potential harms of electronic cigarettes. Not only does Evan outline important and informative aspects of electronic cigarette usage, but he presents this information in a way that is engaging and eye-opening to younger audiences.
Hang Tough, Don’t Puff
Note to Reader:
The emergence of vaping devices in the 21st century has become a threat to the public health of the current generation. Electronic cigarettes have been marketed as a better nicotine-based device compared to traditional cigarettes. While some smokers use the device to quit smoking, adolescents are using the device to start smoking. The lack of knowledge of the potential danger of electronic cigarettes is one of the main reasons that adolescents are vaping. My presentation aims to convince adolescents to avoid smoking and vaping by targeting the false belief that vaping is not harmful to human health. I did this by presenting possible damages that smoking and vaping can cause to their physical health, mental health, and social network. Instead of talking about commonly seen diseases such as lung cancer, I decided to present information on possible damages that people are unfamiliar with. Even though my primary audiences are adolescents in middle school or high school who have not yet or have just started to develop the habit of smoking, the information I provided in the presentation can also be informative to secondary audiences such as teachers, parents, or siblings of my primary audiences.
I started the presentation by giving some questions for my audience to think about and answered those questions as I introduced myself. The reason that I decided to use approximately two minutes elaborating on my experience as someone who has quit smoking is that I believe it can make the presentation more persuasive. My experience proves that being ignorant of the possible damages of vaping can lead to unexpected consequences. My introduction acts as a transition to my topic as I explain to my audiences that the information in the presentation would have prevented me from starting to vape.
The first thing that I introduce to my audience is nicotine addiction and how our nicotine dependence increases without us noticing. I was inspired by an article that explains that there is a “high degree of conflicting perceptions and uncertainty adolescents possess when considering nicotine addiction” (Roditis et al., 2015, p.162). I find this important because I have also failed to acknowledge that I was addicted to nicotine when I was still smoking. The result of failing to acknowledge that one is addicted to nicotine can lead to higher dependence on nicotine and one may seek products with higher nicotine concentrations to satisfy their needs. This is when I introduce the knowledge that some unregulated companies produce devices that can control the flux of nicotine which leads to more severe addiction. This knowledge is adapted from an article that explained that “unregulated nicotine levels in both cigarettes and e-cigarettes can lead to repeated and overexposure of nicotine to youth which can lead to addiction and detrimental effects on their cognitive functions” (Gholap & Halquist, 2020, p.443). This information supports another brief article which explained that “those who use e-cigarettes with higher nicotine concentrations are more likely to progress to more frequent and intense combustible cigarette smoking and vaping” (Burke, 2018, paragraph 1). This brief article inspired me to elaborate on the irony that people started to vape because they believe it is less harmful than traditional cigarettes, but nicotine addiction led by vaping can result in later use of traditional cigarettes. As I mentioned this irony to my audience, I explained that I have experienced every step from vaping to addiction to dual use of both electronic and traditional cigarettes.
Before I enter the part of the presentation in which I explain the damages to physical health, I decided to explain the concept of social smoking. Since some people only smoke when they are with their friends, they might think social smoking doesn’t affect them in any way and might not pay attention to the latter parts of the presentation. Therefore, I decided to explain how social smoking can affect one’s health. The information that I presented was inspired by a study that explained that “light and intermittent smoking carry nearly the same risk for cardiovascular disease” (Schane et al., 2010, p.1519) and that the risk of light and intermittent smokers having lung disease is substantial (Schane et al., 2010, p.1519).
I’ve broken down damages to physical health into four parts. The four categories are damage to the respiratory system, brain, skin health, and reproductive system. Before I elaborate on how physical health is damaged, I decided to explain what causes it. Shinbashi and Rubin (2020) explained in their study that some of the most common toxic chemicals in e-cigarettes are “propylene glycol, glycerol, volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, ultrafine particulates, and a variety of flavoring compounds” (p.88). I decided to include this information in my presentation to better clarify what kinds of chemicals are harmful.
I’ve broken down the damages to the respiratory system into three parts. The three parts include the oral cavity, pharynx, and lung. The reason I decided to elaborate on damage to oral health led by vaping and smoking is because it affects our daily life. I’ve adapted information from a study that claimed that inflammation of the oral tissue can lead to symptoms such as “gingival pain and bleeding, tongue and inside cheek pain, and cracked or broken teeth” (Livingston et al., 2022, p.10). Livingston et al. (2022) also explained that such oral tissue damage is seen more often in e-cigarette-only users compared to traditional cigarette-only users (p.10). Such damage influences our daily life because it can cause pain when we eat, and broken teeth can affect appearances. These damages are more realistic for adolescents compared to serious diseases such as lung cancer which takes a long time to develop.
When I mention damages caused to the pharynx and lung tissues, I’ve also focused more on health deficits that can directly affect my audience’s life. Livingston et al. (2022) explained that vaping can cause minor symptoms such as throat irritation and coughing and more serious diseases such as asthma (p.10). Getting asthma means that they will have problems playing sports, which I believe is a persuasive point to convince adolescents to not vape or smoke. Livingston et al. (2022) also explained that asthma is seen more often in e-cigarette only users compared to traditional cigarette only users (p.10) and the reason is that “the glass fibers found in the cartridges and the metals contained in the aerosols may cause bronchial inflammation that contribute to asthma” (Livingston et al., 2022, p.10). Since vapes are popular among adolescents, I find it important to emphasize the health deficits seen more often in e-cigarette-only users.
Another lung disease that I mentioned in my presentation was bronchiolitis obliterans, also known as popcorn lung. I was inspired by the research finding that “THC and cannabinoid oil products played a large role in fueling the outbreak of vaping associated pulmonary injury” (Shinbashi & Rubin, 2020, p.88). This finding reminded me that there was news about e-cigarette users getting popcorn lungs in the past and I wanted to clarify why there are such diseases. I adapted information from Shinbashi and Rubin’s study and explained that the lack of regulation leads to the production of vapes with THC. I have also used an article as a reference to explain what popcorn lung is. The article explains that popcorn lung is an irreversible disease in which the airways in the lung are blocked by scars resulting from inflammation and since the airways are blocked, patients will have problems retrieving oxygen as well as releasing carbon dioxide (Rose, 2012, paragraph 1).
The next part of my presentation is about brain damage. To explain why vaping affects the development of the brain during adolescence, I referred to Yuan et al. (2015) who explained that human brains undergo a “reorganization of brain regions necessary for mature cognitive and executive function, working memory, reward processing, emotional regulation, and motivated behavior” (Yuan, 2015, p.3397). I have also referred to Yuan et al. (2015) who explained that the presence of nicotine during adolescence can lead to a higher chance of “using drugs, engage in high-risk sexual behavior, and develop psychiatric disorder” (Yuan, 2015, p.3404) to illustrate what kinds of deficits will result from vaping and smoking. I have emphasized that these deficits will be everlasting and even light smoking can cause damage to the brain (Yuan, 2015, p.3397). I find this information especially important because many e-cigarette users, including me, failed to acknowledge the danger of light smoking. I believe that the information I provided can be effective to convince non-smokers to not try light smoking or social smoking.
Since most adolescents care about how they look, I decided to include information regarding how smoking can affect one’s skin health. Skinner et al. (2017) explained in their study that “smoking is associated with negative health of skin and increased signs of facial aging” (p.1). I find this piece of information important because most people care about their appearance, especially adolescents. The study includes pictures of identical twins, one who smokes and one who doesn’t. I have used the images in my presentation to show the difference between smokers and non-smokers because pictures can directly show how smoking affects appearances. The study shows that most participants were able to tell which one of the twins smokes just by looking at their pictures (Skinner et al., 2017, p.7). When I saw those pictures, I was also able to tell who smoked. Therefore, I am confident that my audience will also be able to tell the difference. By the end of the slide, I proposed a question “you might look cool smoking in high school, but do you want to look ten years older than your peers when you are in university?” for my audience to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of smoking at an early age.
The final part of explaining the damage to physical health was targeting my male audiences. I referred to a study that shows the correlation between smoking and impotence. Tong et al. (2022) explained in their study that smoking leads to a higher degree of internal pudendal artery calcification (IPA) and IPA calcification has a direct and positive relationship with erectile dysfunction (p.1). I find this piece of information persuasive among male adolescents because I believe no one would want to be impotent at an early age. Furthermore, I have emphasized in my presentation that being impotent not only affects the ability to have pleasure but can also affect their relationship with future partners.
I began my explanation of damages to mental health by explaining that the common understanding that smoking removes anxiety is a false belief. Livingston et al. (2022) explained that the most common health problems are depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and anxiety-related psychiatric symptoms (p.12). The study also explained that dual smokers have higher levels of mental health problems compared to e-cigarette-only users and e-cigarette-only users have a higher level of mental health problems compared to non-smokers (Livingston et al., 2022, p.11-12). This information extends on previous slides when I explained that vaping can lead to dual smoking of both traditional and electronic cigarettes. Meaning that if one starts to vape, they will have mental health problems and since vaping can lead to dual smoking, there is the possibility of having severe damage to mental health. To make it clear to my audience about the difference in mental health status between smokers and non-smokers, I referred to Livingston et al. (2022) who explained that “Lifetime e-cigarette only users were three times more likely to have engaged in suicide planning, and five times more likely to have made a suicide attempt than non-users” (p.12).
After elaborating on some of the damages to physical and mental health, I decided that it is important to mention how vaping can affect the quality of their social network. I referred to Burnell et al. (2021) who explained the term “peer similarity in substance use” (p.909). Peer similarity in substance use basically means that those who smoke are likely to make friends who also smoke (Burnell et al., 2021, p.909). I’ve linked this information with previous slides where I mentioned smoking at a young age can develop psychological deficits due to the existence of nicotine during brain development (Yuan, 2015, p.3404). I decided to talk about this because people may not realize that they are influenced by their environment when they are the subject to the issue. Therefore, I find it important to inform my audiences that there is the possibility of being influenced by friends who may have psychological deficits due to smoking at a young age.
Throughout the presentation, I utilized images to make my slide more visually appealing. The images were acquired from the following sources:
Figure 1. (2021). All kinds of vaping devices [Photograph]. HealthDay. https://consumer.healthday.com/b-9-10-fda-bans-sale-of-nearly-a-million-e-cigarettes-allow-juul-to-remain-on-market-2654959371.html
Figure 2. Wang, E. (2020). My self-portrait [Photograph].
Figure 3. (2019). A woman vaping [photograph]. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44295336.
Figure 4. (2022). An illustration of the respiratory system [illustration]. Quizlet. https://quizlet.com/vn/254948032/respiratory-system-diagram/
Figure 5. (2019). Portable frontal chest radiograph in a 17-year-old male taken on day 2 of a community hospital admission showing diffuse micronodular opacities in both lungs [Radiograph]. Canadian Medical Association Journal. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.191402
Figure 6. (2019). Portrait of the twin that is not a smoker [photograph]. The Royal Society Publishing. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44295336.
Figure 7. (2019). Portrait of the twin that is a smoker [photograph]. The Royal Society Publishing. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44295336.
Figure 8. Peerzaada, H. (2010). Smoking leads to impotence … Quit smoking [photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/humayunnapeerzaada/5401913288
Figure 9. Weda, A. (2013). Indonesia world no tobacco day [photograph]. Shutterstock. https://www.shutterstock.com/zh/editorial/image-editorial/picture-available-on-31-may-2013-shows-7960195c
Figure 9. (2018). Don’t be fooled [Propaganda]. Apicat. https://apicat.org/resources/tobacco-health-information/e-cigs-vape/
Figure 10. (2019). Don’t vape [Propaganda]. Everyday Health. https://www.everydayhealth.com/stop-smoking/a-practical-guide-to-quit-vaping/
In conclusion, the false belief that vaping is not harmful has led to vaping’s increasing popularity among adolescents. Adolescents need to be aware of the possible damage vaping can cause to their physical health, mental health, and social network. My presentation aims to convince adolescents to not vape and smoke by providing my own experience as a smoker who has quit along with pieces of information adapted from credible sources. If adolescents fail to acknowledge the consequences of vaping and smoking at an early age, there can be everlasting damages to their health, and they will have to live with those damages for the rest of their lives.
References:
Burke, M.G. (2018). High-Nicotine E-Cigarettes Lead to More Smoking and Vaping. Contemporary Pediatrics, 35(2), 7. https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=HRCA&u=ubcolumbia&id=GALE|A530637147&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon
Burnell, K., Kwiatek, S. M., Hoyle, R. H. (2021). Are Exclusive E-Cigarette Users Unique? Comparing Predictors of Exclusive E-Cigarette Use With Traditional Tobacco Use and Dual Use Among U.S. Adolescents. Substance Use and misuse, 56(6), 905-910. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2021.1899236
Gholap, V., & Halquist, M. (2020). Historical Perspective of Proactive and Reactive Regulations of E-Cigarettes to Combat Nicotine Addiction. Journal of Addiction Medicine, 14(6), 443-445. https://doi.org/10.1097/ADM.0000000000000627
Livingston, J. A., Chen, C.H., Kwon, M., Park, E. (2022). Physical and Mental Health outcomes Associated with Adolescent E-Cigarette Use. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 64, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2022.01.006
Roditis, M., Lee, J., Halpern-Felsher, B. L. (2015). Adolescent (Mis)Perceptions About Nicotine Addiction: Results From a Mixed-Methods Study. Sage Journals, 43(2), 156-164. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1090198115598985
Rose, C. S. (2012). Bronchiolitis Obliterans. National Jewish Health. https://www.nationaljewish.org/conditions/bronchiolitis-obliterans
Schane, R. E., Ling, P. M., Glantz, S. A. (2010). Health Effects of Light and Intermittent Smoking: A Review. Circulation, 121(13), 1518-1522. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.904235
Shinbashi, M., & Rubin, B. K. (2020). Electronic Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes/Vaping Product Use Associated Lung Injury (EVALI). Paediatric Respiratory Reviews, 36, 87-91. 10.1016/j.prrv.2020.06.003
Skinner, A. L., Woods, A., Stone, C. J., Penton-Voak, I., Munafò, M. R. (2017). Smoking Status and Attractiveness Among Exemplar and Prototypical Identical Twins Discordant for Smoking. The Royal Society, 4 (12), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.161076
Tong, E., McDonnell, C., Hunter, K., Sheahan, K., Torreggiani, W. C., (2022). Can Smoking Cause Impotence? A Radiological Retrospective Cohort Study Comparing Internal Pudendal Artery Calcification on CT in Male. Smokers Versus Non-Smokers. Irish Journal of Medical Science, 1(3), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-022-02948-5
Yuan, M., Cross, S. J., Loughlin, S. E., Leslie, F. M. (2015). Nicotine and Adolescent Brain. The Journal of Physiology, 593(16), 3397-3412. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP270492