Community

The prevalence of tobacco use varies significantly among different populations in Utah. Characteristics such as race, ethnicity, geographic location, income, education level, gender identity, and sexual orientation correlate with persistent tobacco use and associated health issues. Among racial and ethnic groups, cigarette smoking is highest among people who are Indigenous and Black. Smoking rates among members of Utah’s LGBTQIA2S+ Community, among people enrolled in Medicaid, rank significantly higher than the state average of 9.5% (BRFSS 2014).

With Utah’s low smoking rates, identifying populations at increased risk and reducing tobacco-related disparities are critical. Commercial tobacco companies have targeted much of their promotional efforts on historically marginalized populations, driving up tobacco-use rates in these communities. The Tobacco Prevention and Control Program partners with local organizations to decrease tobacco use in these communities. These organizations provide expertise for the populations they serve and are essential for tobacco prevention and cessation efforts within these communities.

Centro Hispano

Serving the needs of Latino and Hispanic individuals.

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Comunidades Unidas

Serving the needs of Latino and Hispanic individuals.

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Project Success Coalition

Serving the needs of Black and African American individuals.

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The Queen Center

Serving the needs of Pacific Islander individuals.

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Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake

Serving Indigenous and Native individuals.

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Utah School Resource Guide

Schools greatly influence the students they serve and play a major role in reducing the rate of tobacco use among youth. Research suggests that when consistently enforced, tobacco-free school policies are essential to lowering teen tobacco use rates.

A comprehensive policy goes beyond simple compliance by supporting safe schools, promoting clean air, and creating an environment where students are encouraged to make healthy choices.

Effective school policies attempt to address the underlying addiction to commercial tobacco instead of purely punitive measures, which do not deter continued use and may exacerbate the problem. Using punitive measures such as suspension and expulsion to penalize student violations of a school’s commercial tobacco policy is not reasonable, considering the targeted marketing, science of addiction, and long-term consequences associated with expulsion and suspension. For information on programs that may be implemented in schools, please see below or contact your local health department.

This guide is designed to help Utah schools and districts through the process of incorporating recommendations from the CDC’s “Guidelines for School Health Programs to Prevent Tobacco Use and Addiction.”

Botvin LifeSkills® Training (LST) is a research-validated prevention program. It teaches students the necessary skills to resist social pressures to smoke, drink and use drugs; and enhances cognitive/behavioral competency to reduce/prevent a variety of health-risk behaviors. There is a supplemental document to show how to incorporate vaping into several lessons. For more information, visit lifeskillstraining.com.

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The Tobacco Prevention Tool Kit is a new, theory-based and evidence-informed educational resource that can be adapted to fit the individual needs of educators and students in all types of settings, including elementary, middle and high schools; community-based organizations; and health-related agencies. This tool kit contains a set of modules focused on e-cigarettes and vapes, messages on nicotine addiction, information and resources concerning positive youth development.

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ASPIRE is a free, bilingual, online tobacco prevention curriculum for teens. It was developed by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The interactive tool explains the dangers of tobacco and nicotine use. ASPIRE is not a cessation tool for students currently using tobacco. For information on resources for students currently using tobacco products, please refer to the cessation resources below or contact your local health department.

All Utah schools and peer courts can access ASPIRE under a memorandum of understanding with MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. Contact your local health department for more information or, to enroll your school, contact Julie Christie at [email protected] or 801-503-6803

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Intervention for Nicotine Dependence: Education, Prevention, Tobacco and Health (INDEPTH) is an alternative to suspension or citation that helps schools and communities address the teen vaping problem in a more supportive way. Instead of solely focusing on punitive measures, INDEPTH is an interactive program that teaches students about nicotine dependence, establishing healthy alternatives, and how to kick the unhealthy addiction that got them into trouble in the first place.

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The My Life, My Quit program is for young people ages 13 to 17 who want help quitting all forms of tobacco, including vaping. It’s free. There are online tools, text messaging and/or phone support. Parental consent is not required for enrollment in the program.

My Life, My Quit helps youth:

Develop a quit plan.
Cope with stress.
Learn about nicotine.
Get ongoing support.

Text or call 855-891-9989.

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The Youth Advocacy Coalition is a collective of youth groups across Utah to create healthy communities. The mission for tobacco prevention youth groups is to empower youth and adult partners to create youth-friendly, tobacco-free communities through advocacy, education and environmental changes. For more information on how to become a part of the Youth Advocacy Coalition, contact Julie Christie.
801-538-6883

Contact Us

Southwest Utah Public Health Department
Main line: 435-986-2593
Website: https://swuhealth.org/
Social Media: Facebook,Twitter

Summit County Health Department
Main line: 435-333-1500
Website: https://summitcountyhealth.org/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter

Tooele County Health Department
Main line: 435-277-2374
Website: https://tooelehealth.org/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter

TriCounty Health Department
Main line: 435-247-1177
Website: https://tricountyhealth.com/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter

Utah County Health Department
Main line: 801-851-7099
Website: https://health.utahcounty.gov/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter

Wasatch County Health Department
Main line: 435-657-3260
Website: https://www.wasatchcountyhd.org/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter

Weber-Morgan Health Department
Main line: 801-399-7195
Website: https://www.webermorganhealth.org/
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter

Community

Centro Hispano

Comunidades Unidas

Project Success Coalition

The Queen Center

Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake

Utah School Resource Guide

Contact Us

Partner health departments