Topic: Alcohol/Drugs/Tobacco
Target Population: Adolescents, Middle Childhood
Sector: School-Based
This program is for youth who are in grades 5 through 12.
CATCH® My Breath, a school- or community-based prevention program, is designed to prevent or reduce the use of e-cigarettes among youth.
Results from one quasi-experimental, cross-sectional pilot study in which CATCH My Breath was implemented in middle schools indicate that intervention schools had significantly lower increases in ever e-cigarette use prevalence from baseline to the 16-month follow-up compared to control schools. Intervention schools had significantly greater improvements in e-cigarette knowledge and perceived positive outcomes for not using e-cigarettes over the same time period compared to control schools. Additionally, the prevalence of past 30-day use of combustible tobacco increased significantly from baseline to 16 months in control schools but not in intervention schools. Results from a second quasi-experimental, cross-sectional study conducted in one middle school indicated significant improvements in knowledge at a 3-month follow-up; however, attitudes and perceptions did not improve and were shown to be less favorable over time. Posttest results from one randomized trial indicated significant improvements in general tobacco-related knowledge and risk perceptions towards other flavored tobacco products among those in the CATCH My Breath group. Results should be interpreted with caution as assessments used in analyses were adapted from those that were originally designed to be used with combustible cigarettes; therefore, there may be issues with the psychometric properties of these measures.
CATCH My Breath intends to provide youth with the knowledge and skills they can use to make informed choices about the use of e-cigarettes. Program sessions address the following:
Parent and community resources and optional supplemental materials are available on the program website.
Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) partnered with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health to create CATCH My Breath. The curriculum has been delivered to more than 1.8 million students in over 5,500 schools across all U.S. states.
This program can be facilitated by classroom teachers, counselors, nurses, other public health advocates, and peer facilitators (i.e., student leaders). Required training is available via live webinar or recorded format through CATCH Global Foundation. Please visit https://catch.org/program/vaping-prevention/#training, or use details in the Contact section to learn more.
Considerations for implementing this program within the school include acquiring administration, teacher, and student buy-in; obtaining parental consent; and recruiting facilitators and ensuring they have time to complete training and deliver program sessions within an existing curriculum. Considerations for implementing this program within the community include recruiting facilitators and ensuring they complete training, locating space to hold sessions, and acquiring youth buy-in.
The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email clearinghouse@psu.edu
If you are interested in implementing CATCH My Breath, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you!
Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email clearinghouse@psu.edu
The program is delivered in four 35-minute sessions to students in grades 5 through 8 and four 35-minute sessions to students in grades 9 through 12.
The curriculum, including pre-recorded training and program supplements, is free to schools in the United States. Optional video lessons and additional training opportunities are available for a fee. Please use details in the Contact section for more information.
To move CATCH My Breath to the Promising category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence, at least one evaluation that uses a strong design and validated measures should be performed demonstrating positive effects lasting at least one year from the beginning of the program or at least six months from program completion.
The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email clearinghouse@psu.edu
Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program. Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: clearinghouse@psu.edu
You may also contact CATCH by phone 1-855-500-0050 x803, email catchmybreath@catch.org, or visit https://catchinfo.org/contact/
https://letsgo.catch.org/pages/catch-my-breath and Kelder et al. (2020).
Baker, K. A., Campbell, N. J., Noonan, D., Thompson, J. A., & Derouin, A. (2022). Vaping prevention in a middle school population using CATCH My Breath. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 36(2), 90-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2021.07.013
Bteddini, D. S., LeLaurin, J. H., Chi, X., Hall, J. M., Theis, R. P., Gurka, M. J., … Salloum, R. G. (2023). Mixed methods evaluation of vaping and tobacco product use prevention interventions among youth in the Florida 4-H program. Addictive Behaviors, 141, 107637-107637. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2023.107637
Kelder, S. H., Mantey, D. S., Van Dusen, D., Case, K., Haas, A., & Springer, A. E. (2020). A middle school program to prevent E-cigarette use: A pilot study of “CATCH My Breath.” Public Health Reports, 135(2), 220-229. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354919900887
Chu, K., Sidani, J., Matheny, S., Rothenberger, S. D., Miller, E., Valente, T., & Robertson, L. (2021). Implementation of a cluster randomized controlled trial: Identifying student peer leaders to lead E-cigarette interventions. Addictive Behaviors, 114, 106726-106726. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106726
Kelder, S. H., Mantey, D. S., Van Dusen, D., Vaughn, T., Bianco, M., & Springer, A. E. (2021). Dissemination of CATCH My Breath, a middle school E-cigarette prevention program. Addictive Behaviors, 113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106698
Mantey, D. S., Omega-Njemnobi, O., Ruiz, F. A., Chen, B., Springer, A. E., & Kelder, S. H. (2023). Remote versus in-person learning during COVID-19: Comparison of E-cigarette susceptibility and ever use among a diverse cohort of 6th-grade students in Texas. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 25(2), 254-260. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntac084
Moosbrugger, M., Losee, T. M., González-Toro, C. M., Drewson, S. R., Stapleton, P. J., Ladda, S., & Cucina, I. (2023). Pre-service teachers' perceptions and experiences implementing CATCH My Breath. American Journal of Health Education, 54(1), 20-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/19325037.2022.2142336
Springer, A. E., Mantey, D. S., Omega-Njemnobi, O., Ruiz, F., Attri, S., Chen, B., … Kelder, S. H. (2022). School connectedness and E-cigarette susceptibility/ever use in Texas 6th-grade students. American Journal of Health Behavior, 46(6), 673-682. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.46.6.10
Yaugher, A. C., Pay, C. C., Hawks, J., & Meier, C. L. (2023). Evaluating a multicomponent e-cigarette prevention program in the rural northwest: Teacher and Parent/Guardian program outcomes. The Journal of School Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1177/10598405231198020
