Dr. Alex Feng Talks Youth Vaping Prevention on WCCO Morning News
We have encouraging news to celebrate in Minnesota's ongoing work to prevent youth commercial tobacco use.
Dr. Alex Feng, one of our Advocates for Better Health (ABH) Commercial Tobacco Cessation Panelists, recently joined WCCO Morning News to discuss the latest data from the 2025 Minnesota Student Survey. The survey shows that vaping among Minnesota 11th graders has fallen from 25% in 2019 to just 8% in 2025—a two-thirds decline in six years.
Bringing Trusted Healthcare Voices to the Conversation
Amber Kerrigan (ABH), Dr. Alex Feng, and Mike Sheldon (MDH) at the WCCO studios in Minneapolis.
Dr. Feng's appearance also highlights an important part of ABH's commercial tobacco work: helping healthcare professionals use their trusted voices beyond the clinic. Through our Commercial Tobacco Cessation Panel, ABH has built relationships with healthcare professionals who are passionate about helping Minnesotans prevent and overcome nicotine addiction. In recent years, we have worked with the Minnesota Department of Health to connect these advocates with opportunities to share evidence-based information through media interviews and public education. Dr. Feng's WCCO interview is one example of how that ongoing work is helping bring healthcare expertise into conversations that reach Minnesotans across the state.
Prevention Is Making a Difference
When asked about the decline in youth vaping, Dr. Feng highlighted the importance of prevention and the sustained work happening across Minnesota to keep young people from becoming addicted to nicotine. Over the past decade, advocates and communities have advanced strategies ranging from raising the tobacco sales age to 21 to adopting local policies that restrict the sale of flavored commercial tobacco products.
The new data give us reason to celebrate that progress. They also remind us that the work isn't finished.
The Work Isn't Finished
Many of the young people who came of age during the height of the vaping epidemic are now young adults, and some continue to struggle with nicotine addiction. As we work to prevent the next generation from starting, it's equally important that we support those who want to quit with accessible, evidence-based cessation resources.
At ABH, we don't want the commercial tobacco industry to continue profiting from addiction and the negative health consequences of its products. That's why prevention and cessation have always gone hand in hand in our work.
Advocacy Beyond the Clinic
Dr. Feng has been connected to ABH since his residency days and has spent nearly a decade lending his voice and medical expertise to commercial tobacco prevention and cessation efforts. We're grateful for his continued advocacy and proud that the relationships we've built with healthcare advocates like Dr. Feng are helping bring trusted voices to important public health conversations across Minnesota.