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BBPH hosts Break Free Youth Action Summit

breathnd.com

Bismarck Burleigh Public Health and Tobacco Free North Dakota are hosting the Fall Break Free Youth Action Summit. Jordyn Schaefbauer, Tobacco Prevention Specialist for Bismarck Burleigh Public Health, says approximately 100 middle and high school students and their advisors are expected to attend the summit.

"Students will be learning about different tobacco prevention policies, in particular, the North Dakota smoke free law. This year, we are actually having a legislative panel and so we are going to have some legislators that are going to come in and talk to the students. The students can ask them questions, like how laws are passed and what they can do to try to make change in their communities at the state and local level."

Throughout the day students will do hands-on activities that can later be repeated in their schools and communities.

"We continue to have high rates of electronic cigarette use especially among our youth. The North Dakota rate, according to the according to the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, is 21.2%, which is actually higher than ND adult e-cigarette use rate. The adults are at 17.9%."