Iowa counties, schools work to update e-cigarette policies as use rises

CEDAR RAPIDS — While much still is unknown about electronic cigarettes, one thing is clear — teens and adults are using them. And this is forcing schools and businesses to update tobacco policies.

The battery-operated products deliver nicotine, a flavor such as cherry or vanilla, and other chemicals to the user. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that due to a lack of studies, e-cigarette's potential risks and benefits are not fully known.

It's also unclear how much nicotine or other harmful chemicals are inhaled during use, the FDA says.

Public health groups recently have begun collecting data on e-cigarette use, but that research still is in its infancy — the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially started in 2011, and 2014 was the first year the Iowa Department of Public Health's Iowa Youth Survey included a question about teen e-cigarette use.

The survey found that about 6 percent of preteens and teenagers reported having used e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days, according to the 2014 survey. The study is completed every two to three years and measures behaviors of Iowa middle and high school students.

Survey results found that e-cigarette use was higher among males — 7 percent compared with 5 percent for females, and across all ages. Older teens also were more likely to use e-cigarettes.

The survey determined that 11 percent of 11th graders said they used an e-cigarette in the previous 30 days compared with 4 percent of eighth graders and 3 percent of sixth graders.

But collecting data on e-cigarette use on a local level can be problematic, said Doug Beardsley, executive director of Johnson County Public Health.

'Data on sales is not available to us,' Beardsley said in an email. 'Determining use rates is a very resource-intensive effort beyond the scope of most local health departments.'

Representatives from Linn County Public Health voiced similar sentiments, saying that agency has not yet collected any data. However, Katie Jones, a Linn County health education specialist, said the Iowa Youth Survey typically sends out a county-by-county breakdown after the initial survey is released. That should give Linn County a better idea of students' tobacco habits.

But that doesn't mean counties and schools aren't also working to update policies.

'Johnson County Public Health still is very much interested in electronic cigarettes,' Beardsley said.

The county is encouraging businesses to adopt clean indoor air policies that are all encompassing and prohibit the use of e-cigs in the places where tobacco cigarette use is prohibited as well as working with local government to adopt ordinances that would put e-cigarette use on par with tobacco.

Linn County Public Health has referred companies and those interested in updating their policies to the Area Substance Abuse Council (ASAC), which has worked closely with area schools as well.

Schools must consider a few factors when updating policies, noted Curt Wheeler, a certified prevention specialist with ASAC, who has worked with Linn County schools for the past two years. Those factors include who could be using e-cigarettes and other variations, what devices and substances to prohibit, and where to ban their use.

Most school districts, he said, have taken a comprehensive approach, prohibiting all students, staff and visitors from using any e-cigarette or related device on any school-owned property, including buses.

Representatives from several Corridor school districts — including Cedar Rapids and Iowa City — said they include e-cigarettes or look-alike devices in their tobacco and nicotine policies.

Just as important, Wheeler said, is training staff members to detect e-cigarette use. Wheeler said he trains parents and leads in-service programs each year with staff in some districts to teach them what e-cigarettes look and smell like.

'Sometimes it'll give off a smell of what it's flavored like,' Wheeler said. 'But if you smell strawberries walking through the hall, you're not necessarily going to think somebody's smoking.'

Some schools address e-cigarettes in health classes, too. A Cedar Rapids high school course on drugs, alcohol and tobacco includes lessons on the devices and other newer tobacco or nicotine products, said Grant Schultz, a physical education and wellness facilitator with the Cedar Rapids Community School District.

The Iowa Youth Survey also found that e-cigarette use was higher than traditional cigarette use among teens and preteens. According to the survey, only four percent of all students smoked a cigarette in the past 30 days.

That's in part because traditional cigarettes have lost their 'cool factor,' Wheeler said. By contrast, he said, e-cigarettes are sometimes promoted as less harmful than traditional cigarettes.

'In a kid's mind when they hear that, that equates to, 'This is OK. This is healthy,'' Wheeler said.