A new education session for primary school students is sending myths about vaping up in smoke.
Run by the BCHS Health Promotion team, the education program, Prevention of Vaping, is aimed at Grade 5 and 6 students. The session delivers essential information on the risks and harms of vaping, with the goal to give kids the knowledge and confidence to say no to vaping.
“Primary school is a vital time when kids are curious and starting to be influenced by the things that they see and by people around them,” said Health Promotion Officer Lucy Linton.
“Knowledge is power and that’s what we want to give them. Our program is not only age-appropriate it’s interactive, which gives us the opportunity to have a conversation with the kids, respond to any questions and debunk some of the myths around vaping.
“We recently delivered our first presentation to about 120 Grade 5 and 6 students at Epsom Primary School, and it was really well received.
“We covered topics including: What is a vape?; Nicotine; Short-term and long-term effects; Strategies to say no to vaping; and Ways to get help.”
Students were also given the opportunity to get creative and develop a message poster to share their learnings from the session.
The BCHS Health Promotion team has been delivering vaping prevention education and resources to schools and workplaces in the Bendigo region following concerns about the increased use of vapes by young people. A community health survey recently run by BCHS noted that 40.5% of young people vaped occasionally or regularly, or knew someone who does (City of Greater Bendigo 2023).
The health effects of vaping on young people can be significant, Lucy said, impacting brain development – including memory and concentration – and mental health.
“Our kids deserve to grow up to be the best version of themselves. We know that vaping is still wrongly perceived to be the safer option to smoking and that’s why we’re doing this program.
“We’re hearing from kids that they think it’s not cool and it’s not safe so now we want to support them by providing the tools to make an informed choice which empowers them to say no.”
Interest in the program from local schools has been significant, with the team set to deliver three more sessions in the coming months.
If your school is interested in our Prevention of Vaping education program send an email to
