A health survey of Maine high school students reveals a decline in vaping, but continuing challenges with mental health.
According to the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey, high school students were asked if they had vaped in the last month, and 16% said yes, compared with 30% four years ago.
Maine Center for Disease Control Director Dr. Puthiery Va says that means a collective effort around the problem of vaping among children has worked.
"We saw federal, state level interventions. Public health education. You see a spectrum of folks who cared and did something about it, such that it shifted social norms," Va said.
But the data also show mental health struggles remain a challenge for students, with more than a third of high school respondents saying they have felt sad or hopeless for two or more weeks in a row. One third of middle school students reported similar episodes in their lifetime.
Roughly half of fifth and sixth graders reported being bullied at school, and one in three on social media.
Va said the data show her that young girls and LGBTQ youth need focused mental health care that can make them more resilient.
"When they feel supported by one or more adults, they are more likely to reach out for help and to feel like their lives matter," she said.
Va said she believes that a collective effort similar to the one that helped to reduce vaping rates among students is needed to address the mental health crisis impacting children.
For more on the results visit this page.
