CDC: 7 Out of 10 Kids Exposed to E-cigarette Ads, Top 5 Blog Posts of 2015

Ads from electronic cigarette manufacturers reach seven out of 10 kids — about 18 million teens and preteens in the U.S., according to the latest Vital Signs report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC reports that school-age students view e-cigarette ads online, in retail stores, movies, television, newspapers and magazines. (See infographic below.)

“The unrestricted marketing of e-cigarettes and dramatic increases in their use by youth could reverse decades of progress in preventing tobacco use among youth,” according to a statement from the CDC.

From a health standpoint, data shows that the level of nicotine in e-cigarettes can cause long-term damage in the developing brains of teens and preteens. Smoking electronic cigarettes also places younger smokers at greater risk for developing an addiction to conventional tobacco products, the CDC report says.

What’s more, regulators and researchers are troubled by marketing campaigns used to attract young smokers. Advertising themes include provocative images, rebellion and independence, which are some of the same themes typically used to promote conventional cigarettes and other tobacco products.

“The same advertising tactics the tobacco industry used years ago to get kids addicted to nicotine are now being used to entice a new generation of young people to use e-cigarettes,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D.

(Related stories follow the infographic below.)

Read more on this topic:
Pediatricians Call for Raising Smoking Age to 21, Regulation of e-Cigs
E-Cigarette Use Rises to 16% of High School Students
Electronic Cigarettes Banned in National Parks
E-Cigs Lead Teens to Traditional Smoking?

— Sharon Harvey Rosenberg

The Top 5 Blog Posts of 2015

In 2015, the Resource and Salud blog posts featured hundreds of topics spanning causes of and treatments for dozens of health conditions, as well as information about healthy living, healthcare advances and the latest medical research.  Readers’ experiences with the blog were enhanced by the incorporation of video and infographics into more blog posts, adding visual components to help explain and educate.

Most Popular Resource Blog Posts

The 5 most popular articles posted to this blog in 2015 were:

5. Watch Now: Expanding Innovation at Baptist Hospital

4. Facing the Facts of Fibromyalgia

3. Watch Now: Proton Therapy System Coming to Miami Cancer Institute

2. Watch Now: 2015 Miami Marathon and Half Marathon

1. Baptist Health South Florida Hospitals Named Best in Region by U.S. News & World Report

We also took a look at our most popular blog-promoting social media posts. The Facebook posts about Resource blog stories that received the most “Likes” in 2015 are:

Top 5 Facebook Posts
(based on Likes)

5. Watch Now: Proton Therapy System Coming to Miami Cancer Institute
4. Watch Now: Miami Cancer Institute Topping Off Ceremony
3. Watch Now: Baptist Health Breaking Ground in Miami Beach
2. Watch Now: Baptist Health and FIU Launch Neighborhood Health Program in South Miami
1. Watch Now: Baptist Health Donates 100 Life-Saving AED Machines to Miami Beach

And our blog-related Facebook posts with which users interaction the most are:

Top 5 Facebook Posts
(based on engagement)

5. Watch Now: Healthy Hub at West Kendall Baptist Hospital
4. What Is Your Healthy Weight?
3. Gut Check – Probiotics and Your Health
2. Watch Now: Baptist Health and FIU Launch Neighborhood Health Program in South Miami
1. Watch Now: Proton Therapy System Coming to Miami Cancer Institute

From our Twitter feed, the most retweeted posts about our blogs last year are:

Top 5 Twitter Posts
(based on retweets)

5. News Roundup: Sugar and Brain Damage
4. Watch Now: Robotic Weight Loss Procedure on Display at Obesity Week 2015
3. Pediatricians Call for Raising Smoking Age to 21, Regulation of e-Cigs
2. Watch Now: Baptist Health Breaking Ground in Miami Beach
1. Watch Now: What You Need to Know About Bacteria in Seawater

Are any of these stories your top picks? Share your feedback with us in the comment section below. Or view more stories from the hundreds of other blog posts.

Related story:

• Top 5 Health Topics of 2015

— Tanya Racoobian Walton