Due to COVID-19, Coloradans have paid more attention to health issues over the past year than we have in decades.
And while we know that COVID-19 is not as deadly to teens as it is to adults, particularly older adults, this pandemic is exacerbating an already concerning situation for Colorado teens — what the U.S. Surgeon General has named an epidemic — teen vaping.
In the medical community, we’ve learned a lot about the impact of COVID-19 on the body since the pandemic began. A recent research study from the Stanford University School of Medicine found a link between vaping and COVID-19 among teenagers and young adults. Among the study participants who were tested for COVID-19, those who had used e-cigarettes were five to seven times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than those who did not use e-cigarettes.
As a pediatric lung specialist and medical director for the Breathing Institute at Children’s Hospital Colorado, I’ve been especially focused on the other impacts of COVID-19 on our teens and young people. During the pandemic, we have all had challenges to overcome. Kids are dealing with higher rates of stress, anxiety and depression, which can all be worsened with the use of vape. With their academic and social lives already significantly altered by the pandemic, we cannot afford to sacrifice the health of this generation to deadly tobacco.
Robin Deterding – The Denver Post – 2021-04-14.
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