Area teens recently accompanied Cumberland Prevention Coalition staff and Cumberland County Health Department Health Educator Ashley Al-Hasan to the three-day TNSTRONG Youth Summit in Chattanooga.
TNSTRONG — Tennessee Stop Tobacco and Revolutionize Our New Generation — is a youth-led movement committed to raising awareness of the dangers of nicotine use and fighting against the tobacco industry’s influence on Tennessee youth.
“While tobacco may seem harmless, it is one of the leading causes of preventable disease and death,” said Christine Stinson of the Cumberland Prevention Coalition. “The risks are real whether it is smoking or vaping.”
Students Madison Hodge, Ryley Barnes and Hayley Barnes went with Al-Hasan and CPC Program Coordinator Natalie Hoskins, Project Director Candice Beck to Chattanooga to hear from leading tobacco prevention experts and network with peers from across the state with a goal of leaving the summit equipped to continue efforts in their communities to protect people from the harmful effects of tobacco.
Stinson said a few statistics reveal why this movement is important:
27.9% of high school students use at least one tobacco product Half of high school students have tried e-cigarettes
Among youth who currently use e-cigarettes, 31% are also current smokers
Tennessee has the fifth-highest smoking rate in the country 11,400 Tennesseans die each year from smoking-related illnesses
“The first youth tobacco prevention campaign, ‘The Real Cost,’ launched in 2014 by the FDA Center for Tobacco Products, has been effective in reaching and changing the way teens think about the risks of tobacco use with an evidence-based approach adaptable to changing patterns in tobacco use among youth,” Stinson added.
Those attending the TNSTRONG summit were taught how to develop and implement campaigns to take back to their communities.
“The summit was filled with opportunities for the youth to learn about other concerns that affect them in their daily lives as well,” Stinson said. “They learned how focusing on simple points such as living out positive messages can make lives more meaningful, successful and fun.”
Among the topics covered were:
Mastering Your Mental Health through building a Resilience Bank Account with deposits through positive self-talk, breathwork, visualization and other healthy habits can lessen the negative impact of deposits of stress and unhealthy routines. Strengthening resilience can lead to confidence, the ability to make empowered choices, and enable one to inspire others to create healthier, tobacco-free lives.
“Participants gained insight to understanding emotions and how a flexible mindset can lead to improved problem-solving and enhanced overall well-being and will delve into the neurobiological impact of nicotine on developing brains and the risks of youth tobacco use,” Stinson said. “They learned strategies to overcome acting on temptations that can lead to an addiction. Today’s teens struggle with the thoughts of whether or not they fit in. That session addressed mental and emotional health, body image, confidence, low self-esteem, and the various forms of abuse in play today and how they impact student well-being.”
She added that participants gained insight into how to redefine success and use strategies to live empowered lives of meaning and purpose.
Visit the Tennessee Department of Health (tnstrong.health@tn.gov) for more about the summit.
Go to cumberlandpreventioncoalition.org for more about the Cumberland Prevention Coalition.