Back-to-school tips from the American Lung Association of Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The American Lung Association is sharing tips on how to navigate potential lung health challenges as Virginia’s kids return to school for the 2024-25 school year.

The American Lung Association has a Creating Lung-Friendly Environments for Youth initiative. Its purpose is to help schools and families address chronic lung diseases, air quality and tobacco-free policies. It offers free information, guides and sample policies that schools can implement.

“Back to school is an exciting time for students across Virginia, and it is also a time for a fresh, healthy start,” said Deb Brown, chief mission officer of the American Lung Association in a press release. “As we enter the new school year, it is critical for parents, students and school staff to be aware of new asthma triggers, exposure to new viruses, peer pressure to smoke or vape and other stressors that can impact the health of students.”

In the release, the American Lung Association highlighted four critical areas of lung health that it wants parents, students and school leadership to know more about. These are asthma, tobacco use, indoor air quality and infectious respiratory diseases and vaccines.

A total of 8,800 Virginia children under 18 have asthma, according to the release. As asthma is a leading cause of missed school days, it is especially relevant to both students and the schools they attend.

The American Lung Association has several resources available on asthma, including stock asthma medication guidance for schools , an adult asthma self-management program and an asthma initiative partnering with Historically Black Colleges and Universities .

Stressors that a new school year can put on children, as well as peer pressure from students around them, could potentially expose a child to tobacco use — whether that’s traditional cigarette use, vaping or the use of other tobacco or nicotine products. In Virginia, 14.3% of high schoolers reported using an e-cigarette in the last 30 days, according to the release.

The American Lung Association has several resources available on tobacco use, including a guide to help kids quit vaping , its Vape-Free Schools Initiative and many more .

Indoor air pollution may not be immediately obvious, but it poses a significant risk to those in a school environment. It, alongside greenhouse gas emissions, can affect attention, cognition and ability to learn, according to the release. A free downloadable guide is available online on how school leadership can improve air quality in their buildings.

Finally, the American Lung Association reminds families that a new school year means children may be exposed to new illnesses, including infectious respiratory diseases.

“It is critical that students are up to date on how to stay healthy through good habits and all routinely recommended vaccinations , including influenza and COVID-19,” the American Lung Association said.

For more information, check out Lung.org .

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