DIAA Announces Winners of the Vaping Education Viewing Contest

(Dover, DE) June 15, 2021 –  The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) in partnership with the American Lung Association through the Delaware Division of Public Health’s Tobacco Prevention Community Contract, conducted a vaping education viewing contest in May which was meant to educate Delaware students about the health dangers of e-cigarette and vaping usage.  In order to participate in the contest, students viewed the “Understanding Vaping and E-Cigarettes” video through the National Federation of High Schools Learn curriculum course.  Participants watched the video and completed the course to register a video “view” for their school.  One school from the Blue Hen Conference, Henlopen Conference, Delaware Independent School Conference, Diamond State Conference, and one non-conference school could each receive an award in the amount of $500. If no schools participated in the contest, an award would not be given to any school in that conference.

 

The vaping education course was viewed almost 400 times by Delaware students during the contest window.  Approximately 38 percent of Delaware high school students reported ever trying an electronic vapor product. (Source: Department of Health and Human Services, 2019)  In addition, youth exposure to nicotine is particularly dangerous since it has been shown to harm brain development, alter nerve cell functioning and make adolescent brains more susceptible to other addictive drugs.  Providing this resource to students in Delaware contributes towards DIAA’s mission of protecting the physical well-being of athletes and promoting healthy adolescent lifestyles.

 

The awards below will be used to assist the winning school to host a student development program activity. This could include a virtual leadership speaker or other student wellness educational activities.

 

 

Non-conference Winner:  Ursuline Academy

 

Blue Hen Conference:  St. Georges High School

 

Middle school winner:  Tatnall School

 

To provide parents with a simple roadmap to address the dangers of vaping with their kids, “Get Your Head Out of the Cloud” has free educational resources including a conversation guide, which can be found here.