Developed in collaboration with the LifeLab Youth Panel – a group of young people employed by the University of Southampton to inform research into youth health issues – LifeLab has co-created a targeted toolkit of teaching materials and lesson plans for use in the classroom, along with a virtual reality (VR) experience that emphasises the peer pressure teens feel regarding vaping, and the health dangers of the habit.
This innovative project was recently featured on ITV Meridian’s News programme:
Dr Kath Woods-Townsend, LifeLab Programme Manager, said: “We welcome the ban on disposable vapes, which can only be a good thing, but more needs to be done to educate our young people about why vaping is dangerous. These resources were co-created with the LifeLab youth panel to ensure the messages are effective, engaging and meaningful to the young people we are trying to reach.”
The VR experience takes the headset-wearer on a walk down a city street to see if they can ‘escape the vape’ and spot danger zones. The participant is bombarded with advertising and peer pressure to try vaping.
The ban on disposable vapes comes following a government call for evidence last year, which LifeLab submitted a response to, informed by youth focus groups.
John Holloway, Professor of Allergy and Respiratory Genetics at the University of Southampton, has conducted research into the impact of environmental exposures to teenagers on health. He said: “Our research into the effects of exposures such as smoking and obesity of future parents on their children’s health has highlighted how critical the health behaviours of teenagers are, not only to their own health, but to those of future generations to come. Engaging resources like these, that are designed by teenagers themselves – together with policy changes such as the ban on disposable vapes – will help to improve the health of our population for decades to come.”
The Vaping Resources are available to schools free of charge. You can sign up to access the resources on the Vaping page of LifeLab’s website.
For more information please contact the LifeLab team lifelab@soton.ac.uk.