A new health campaign is scrapping scare tactics for empowering, community-driven messages to help young Indigenous people in Victoria quit vaping.
The Koori Way, a state-wide anti-tobacco and anti-vaping initiative led by the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service is encouraging youth mob, with voices their own age, to 'Flip the Vape'.
22 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 and over have tried vaping. A third of those have not tried cigarettes.
VAHS say the old tactics are proven not to resonate with young people.
"We know that fear-based campaigns don't work as well with younger audiences. Instead, we're focusing on empowering Indigenous youth with the knowledge that quitting vaping can lead to a better future, healthier lifestyle," VAHS Preventative Health Unit manager Lionel Austin said.
Young Indigenous leaders across the state are featured across the campaign, which included promotion across popular online digital spaces Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, to stem what VAHS identifies as a growing health concern in communities.
Indigenous youth are encouraged to be part of the campaign sharing their stories of quitting.
"We're showcasing positive role models who are already making the choice to prioritise their health. We hope this will inspire others to follow suit," VAHS media lead Salomae Haselgrove said.
Laws surrounding vapes; their purchase, importation, domestic manufacturing and commercial supply, have been an ongoing subject of reform and tightening of regulations.
As of July 2024, all vaping products, both with and without nicotine, are banned from sale outside of pharmacies, and where allowed, only for the purpose of helping to quit smoking or manage nicotine addiction.
In October, subject to state and territory government requirements, the federal government introduced new laws restricting nicotine levels available to be sold "without a prescription where clinically appropriate, to adults aged 18 years and over", with consultation with a pharmacist required "to ensure that a vaping good is the appropriate treatment option".
Prescriptions are required in some instances.
In Victoria, public anti-vaping campaigns, on the street and in broadcast media, have seen an increase in presence.
The 2022-23 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey found, alongside 22 per cent of respondents had tried vaping;
Eight per cent reported using currently using a vape
Vaping was most coming in 18-24 year olds, was almost four times as popular in non-remote areas (9.7 per cent compared to 2.6 per cent in remote areas).
Males were slightly more likely than females to vape (9.5 per cent to 7.5 percent).
VAHS worked with creative agency Mo Works on 'Flick the Vape'.
"The data shows that fear-based messaging doesn't cut through with young people—yet many anti-vaping campaigns are still stuck in the past, preaching rather than empowering," Mo Morks managing director Mo Hamdouna said.
"That's why Flip The Vape is flipping the script. No scare tactics. No outdated narratives. Just real voices, real communities, and real change."
The launch of the four-month campaign aligns with World Cancer Day on February 14.
