by Nicole Hackett, Student Public Relations Writer
Cedarville University pharmacy students will communicate the dangers of vaping to middle and high school students throughout Madison County on November 18 and December 20.
The presentations on November 18 will be given by Jenna Stearns and Henry Sherman at London Middle School. Kathy Limes, Madison Country prevention partner, will co-present with Stearns and Sherman.
Joshua Pearson, a third-year professional pharmacy student, and Abigail Moon, fourth-year professional pharmacy student, will also present about vaping at Madison Plains Junior High School in London, Ohio, on December 20. Amanda Hampton, Madison County prevention services manager, will also be in attendance.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded more than 1,600 cases of lung injury related to vaping as of October 2019. Last fall, when Madison County administered the Ohio Healthy Youth Environments Survey, which measures teen health risk behaviors and environmental factors, it was reported that 13% of the county’s ninth-graders had used an e-cigarette in the last 30 days.
— Joshua Pearson
“It is it important to have college students presenting in schools as it is perceived to be peer-to-peer presentations,” explained Hampton. “Young people are typically going to receive and accept messaging from individuals they relate to in age and experience.”
“Cedarville pharmacy students are uniquely qualified to speak about drug chemicals and have an obligation to use their knowledge to give back to the community,” said Pearson. “I feel that our youth were being specifically targeted with advertising for vaping but were not being given accurate information about nicotine and the vaping process. I hope that my interaction with students will give them the information to live their best life.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,380 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including its Doctor of Pharmacy program, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.