CATCH Global Foundation And CVS Health Team Up To Curb Youth E-Cigarette Use

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The CATCH Global Foundation has received a three-year, $500,000 grant from CVS Health [NYSE: CVS] to bring the youth e-cigarette prevention program "CATCH My Breath" to middle- and high schools nationwide free of charge. The grant is part of CVS Health's Be The First initiative, a five-year $50 million effort to help deliver the nation's first tobacco-free generation through education and awareness, research and tobacco control advocacy, and health behavior programming. More at http://catchinfo.org/cvshealth.

"CVS Health's purpose is helping people on their path to better health, and we believe that stopping the spread of tobacco and e-cigarette use, particularly among young people, is an important element in advancing that purpose," said Eileen Howard Boone, senior vice president of corporate social responsibility for CVS Health. "By partnering with the CATCH Global Foundation, we can accelerate our efforts to reach youth at a critical point in time when they can learn healthy behaviors, instead of harmful ones."

E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among youth and young adults. CATCH My Breath is the first program specifically designed around preventing youth e-cigarette use.

In a 2016 pilot test, 86 percent of students said they were less likely to try e-cigarettes as a result of the program. CATCH My Breath was created by youth tobacco prevention experts at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health.

CATCH My Breath is currently taught in 20 states and reaches over 30,000 kids. The CVS Health funding expands program availability nationwide, with the aim of reaching 200,000 kids annually, by 2020.

"CATCH My Breath aligns with the priorities of our state-wide tobacco prevention efforts, and comes at a perfect time given the new Texas state law requiring e-cigarette education in schools," said Mark Boldt of the Texas Department of State Health Services Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch.

"Health education programs help youth lead happy, healthy lives. Through programs like CATCH My Breath that focus on teaching prevention in middle and high school, educators can provide those prevention messages when they are most effective," added Audra Walters, Coordinated School Health Director at the Arkansas Department of Education.

The grant from CVS Health will support program staffing, implementation, ongoing curriculum refinement, and evaluation.

SOURCE CATCH Global Foundation