The Ohio Tobacco Quit Line is branching out with a new service aimed specifically at teens who use e-cigarettes and tobacco.

"My Life, My Quit," a program of National Jewish Health, was launched last week in Ohio and eight other states. It allows youths under 18 to get free, confidential, real-time help — not only by phone but also via text or online chat.

The service comes as public health officials, school leaders and anti-smoking advocates have been sounding the alarm about the recent surge in e-cigarette use among youths.

In 2018, 21% of U.S. high school students used e-cigarettes, an increase of 78% from the previous year, according to the federal National Youth Tobacco Survey. Among middle school children, 5% used the devices, a jump of 48%.

"That explosion is dramatically exposing adolescents to nicotine use, addicting a whole generation in a different manner," said J.C. Benton, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health, which oversees the Tobacco Quit Line.

Further, Benton pointed to a 2014 U.S. surgeon general's report that says 350 youths become regular smokers each day and almost one-third of them will eventually die from the habit. If trends continue, he said, 5.6 million of today's youths will die prematurely from a smoking-related illness.

To build the teen quit program, creators reached out to youths, who told them that traditional quit lines, geared toward adults, did not resonate with them, said Thomas Ylioja, clinical director of health initiatives at National Jewish Health, a respiratory-focused hospital in Denver. Teens also said that they didn't want to feel forced to participate, but they want the decision to quit to be their own.

Youths who enroll receive five coaching sessions, plus additional text messages for support and encouragement.

A vast majority of adults who use tobacco products say they started when they were teenagers, Ylioja said, and teens who start vaping are four times more likely to go on to smoke tobacco cigarettes. Further, he said, inhaling aerosols from e-cigarettes can be harmful to lung tissue.

Although vaping products are advertised as less harmful for adults who already smoke, he said, youths are balancing different options.

"The choice is not to vape or smoke," he said. "It's to vape or breathe clean air. That's really the message we are trying to get out."

Quit line coaches receive four weeks of training, and those who assist youths receive additional training to help that age group, Ylioja said.

Youths, he said, have different motivations for quitting — ones more focused on immediate impact — and coaches help them devise personalized quit plans that keep their goals and needs in mind.

Teens thinking about college, for example, might be concerned with the effects of nicotine on concentration and memory, or having an addiction that forces them to leave class to use an e-cigarette, Ylioja said.

Coaches also are trained in helping teens navigate social situations and turn down e-cigarettes and tobacco.

National Jewish Health has operated the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line for adults for years. While the adult line offers nicotine replacement therapy, the youth line does not. If teens seek that assistance, Ylioja said, they will be referred to their family doctor.

Both programs, Benton said, are paid for with state and federal funds totaling about $1 million per year.

Due to the number of people under 40 who quit tobacco last year using the Quit Line, Ohioans have been given back a possible 8,000 years of life, he said.

To reach the "My Life, My Quit" program for youths, text or call 855-891-9989 or visit mylifemyquit.com.

The Ohio Tobacco Quit Line for adults can be reached by calling 800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669).