'Protect Your Breath' youth vaping harm campaign starts

A new campaign designed to get Aotearoa’s youth thinking about their vaping has started.

“The campaign’s desired effect is to get young people to think critically about their decisions to use vaping products. The great thing about this campaign is that it has been designed by youth for youth,” says Hayden McRobbie, Regional Director, National Public Health Service.

Protect your Breath has been co-designed with the Hā Collective, a group of young people, schools and experts to explore ways to reduce the harms of youth vaping.

“The Hā Collective has helped deepen our understanding of young people’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours around vaping. The insights which continue to be generated by the collective are integral to the campaign and will shape the ongoing direction of this mahi,” says Hayden.

A website for parents has also been developed to support the campaign and provide more information about the campaign and its origin. It includes resources to support young people make critical decisions about their use of vaping products and provides information for parents when having conversations with their teenagers.

The campaign will appear on social media channels where young people spend their time and it will run over three phases. Phase one started today and over the next two years the campaign will evolve to include a series of immersive in person experiences. Protect your Breath will aim to provoke conversations and encourage people to consider the impact of vaping on themselves and their communities.