Grant: Op Gr: Data Analysis Using Existing Databases n Cohorts-Cancer Prevention n Ctrl

Great strides have been made in reducing cigarette smoking among adult and youth populations in Canada. However, new products, such as vapes (also known as e-cigarettes) present new problems for the public health community. Some people believe that vapes can help people quit cigarettes smoking, while others believe that their unique design features make them attractive and addictive to youth and could lead to more people smoking cigarettes. Although there is some research evidence for a link between youth vaping and cigarette smoking, less is known about the characteristics of youth that start using, keep using, and stop using vapes. Additionally, we know that the school environment can impact many youth health behaviours. However, because of the novelty of vaping devices, there is a lack of evidence for how the school environment influences youth vaping, which could inform the development of new school and community programs that address this behaviour. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to identify individual and school-level factors that influence youth to start using, keep using, and stop using vapes. The data for this study comes from the COMPASS study, a 9-year study that follows over 65,000 students from over 100 schools in four Canadian provinces. Evidence from this project will support the development of activities to prevent youth from starting to use vapes and encourage them to stop using them before they become addicted.