How E-Cigarette Vaping Negatively Affects the Indigenous Health & Culture

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Smoking traditional tobacco is part of the Indian and Alaskan culture and is socially acceptable within the community. While the tribal efforts for smoking cessation have greatly reduced smoking, it has been replaced with a new threat. E-cigarette vaping or Vape equipmentis growing exponentially in the country especially among teenagers as well as young adults. The data from the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) 2019 National Youth Tobacco survey nationwide revealed the following findings:

The number of middle school and high school students using e-cigarette increased from 3.5 million in 2018 to an alarming 5.4 million in 2019.
The survey showed that 1 in 4 high school students are e-cigarette users.

The Impact of Vaping on the Indian Health and Culture

Although these data covers the general population of youth across the country, the AI and AN communities expressed alarm on behalf of the native population. This is because they have a history with commercial tobacco. According to Canli Coalition founder Rae O’Leary, the tobacco industry has been targeting and exploiting Native Americans, making them the highest tobacco smokers of all races.

Unfortunately, O’Leary’s fears may have a basis. According to a 2017 Youth Tobacco Survey that was conducted among middle school students in South Dakota, 1 in 5 American Indian youth has tried vaping compared with 1 in 10 of their White counterparts.

The alarming rate of vaping among young Native Americans gravely threatens indigenous health and culture. According to Sarah Brokenleg, an American Indian Community Specialist based on Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) smoking including e-cigarette poses health risks like:

Exposure to nicotine leads to addiction and disrupts learning
Vaping harms the heart
Vaping irritates the lungs
Increase risks of cancer

In addition, recent reports from CDC on e-cigarette showed that as of December 2019 there were a total of 2,561 hospitalized from an e-cigarette or vaping associated lung injury (EVALI). Cases from 50 states and more than 50 deaths have been confirmed from 27 states.

Despite the success of the tribal community in reducing tobacco smoking among the youth, they are facing a much greater challenge with the e-cigarette. This is because some brands blend with the youths’ lifestyle such as vape products with a selection of flavors, products that are easily concealable, and vape products that hide behind everyday items. These and more are leaving the parents clueless about the vaping activity of their children.

The misuse of smoking among Native American Indians has smeared their sacred tradition. Native people believe that smoking when done positively has the power to heal and protect, but when abused can be harmful. The E-cigarette is not an exception to the abusive smoking pattern. Meanwhile, the MDH team has put in greater efforts to educate parents, grandparents, schools, and tribal councils about the risks of vaping. Despite their campaigns, Brokenleg said that it’s hard to compete with e-cigarette companies that target young people. Their programs are always overshadowed by exciting and interesting ads and promotions from e-cigarette companies.

Conclusion

These are just some of the challenges facing the Native Tribal Community due to the impact of vaping as a replacement to the culturally acceptable tobacco. Hence, there is a need to take action and efforts to launch awareness campaigns and educate the public against e-cigarettes.