Life Ed and nib foundation empower students with vaping education

Statistics from the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute show a one-third drop in vaping rates among 15 to 29 year-olds in 2024, compared to 2023. This progress is part of a broader effort, including policy changes, early intervention strategies and preventative education initiatives.

Reality Now is one of Australia’s leading social norms-based education programs for secondary students, designed to challenge misconceptions about vaping, alcohol, and other drug use. Developed with the support of nib foundation, the program empowers students by encouraging critical thinking skills, helping them to challenge misconceptions, and make positive choices for their health and wellbeing. Through its whole-community approach, Reality Now engages students, parents, and educators, providing valuable resources and practical tools to build confidence in understanding, discussing, and addressing the impacts of vaping and other substance use.

Life Ed’s partnership with nib foundation has been crucial to expanding the Reality Now program. What started with smaller funding to fill a gap in vaping facts and information has evolved into a multi-year collaboration reaching thousands of young people.

In 2021, thanks to the partnership with nib foundation, Life Ed collaborated with the Lung Foundation Australia to create evidence-based vaping content that became central to the Reality Now program. A key part of the program is a real-time, anonymous student survey that aims to prevent drug and alcohol misuse in young people by correcting misconceptions about the attitudes and behaviours of their peers. In 2024, the survey of more than 7,000 students from NSW and SA found that 92% thought their classmates were vaping at varying levels, which was significantly more than what was the case. In reality, 77% said they had never vaped.

Using a social norms-based approach, Reality Now provides students with the tools to dispel peer pressure and feel confident in their choice to choose not to vape. With continued support from nib foundation, Life Ed has created a full suite of vaping education resources, including teacher lesson plans, classroom materials, and parent videos, to further support whole-school engagement and encourage meaningful conversations with young people about the potential harms that are both constructive and supportive.

The Reality Now program was launched simultaneously in both New South Wales and South Australia, with increasing demand from primary schools for preventative education. In an Australian-first, Life Ed introduced the Take a Breath module for Years 5 & 6 students, which asks students to stop, ‘take a breath’, and critically evaluate the information, history, and body knowledge when it comes to vapes. By encouraging critical thinking, students are empowered to make informed decision in the best interest of their health.

“By ensuring more students, parents, and educators have access to the resources needed to prevent vaping uptake we can support Australians to make informed decisions about their health, and avoid vaping and smoking as key risk factors for chronic disease.

Early on we recognised the dangers of young people vaping, so in supporting Reality Now over several years we’ve been encouraged by the strong uptake of the program by schools, as public concern over the trend rose and government and the health sector began to take action.”

Since its launch, the Reality Now program has reached 31,400 secondary students in NSW and SA. Insights from the program have contributed to public health initiatives, including submissions to the NSW Parliamentary inquiry into vaping and collaborations with the Cancer Council’s Generation Vape project and NSW Health.

Several NSW Local Health Districts have requested that Reality Now be facilitated in schools in their regions. A recent survey of students who participated in the program across these districts revealed strong positive outcomes:

• 92% of students reported they now understand substance use and its consequences.
• 88% said they feel more confident in making informed choices about drugs and alcohol.
• 85% found the program engaging and relevant to their lives.
• 90% said they now feel more equipped to manage peer pressure.
• 87% reported an increased awareness of where to seek help and support if needed.

These results highlight the program’s impact in empowering young people with the knowledge and skills to navigate vaping, alcohol and other drugs.