Electronic cigarette use during middle school and high
school has become an alarming public health concern. Educating youth about the risks of
using e-cigarettes through a prevention program can be instrumental in curbing the
growing numbers. Our Extension team implemented a prevention program, Escape Vapes,
which adapted three Stanford University Tobacco Toolkit units. This study is an
evaluation of the program that 1,347 youth in grades 5 through 12 completed. Results
from the online retrospective post-pretest indicate that participation in the program
significantly increased knowledge about e-cigarettes. Overall, the results indicate that
Escape Vapes is an effective prevention program for increasing youths’ knowledge.
The evaluation reported in this article examined the effectiveness of a statewide bullying prevention program, Be SAFE. Be SAFE involves use of a positive youth development approach to influence peer groups rather than individual bullies or victims. Through the use of pre- and postprogram questionnaires, we found increases in youths' knowledge of how to help someone being bullied and how to be an ally. We found that grade level was associated with youths' knowledge gains across the lessons. The findings from the evaluation can be important for those interested in understanding the impacts of Be SAFE or applying bullying prevention efforts in general.
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