Grant: Project Grant

The Canadian tobacco use landscape has changed with the introduction of e-cigarettes, which have become highly popular among youth. Increasing evidence confirms that e-cigarette use is associated with nicotine addiction, subsequent smoking, and increased risk for heart and lung disease. Given that youth are disproportionately at risk for these negative impacts, the public health community has raised alarm around the high rates of use among youth. As a result, the Federal Government has called for efforts to address tobacco use that is inclusive of e-cigarettes such that we can reach the goal of under 5% use of all tobacco products by 2035. Achieving this goal in the context of exponential e-cigarette uptake requires the rapid development and innovation of tobacco control efforts, especially for young Canadians. In light of recent youth-informed evidence detailing the complex interplay between youth cultures, unique contexts, and various behavioral factors (e.g., social norms, environmental factors) that play a role in vaping uptake, prevention measures that reflect this complexity are urgently needed. The goal of this project, therefore, is to move this evidence into action so that e-cigarette prevention efforts resonate with them and are derived from, and embedded within, youth cultures and socio-environmental contexts. Through purposeful engagement with diverse youth, we will develop and test tailored prevention messaging for delivery on social media platforms that are popular among youth. This is a first of its kind study in that the foundation upon which this study is being launched, conducted, and evaluated is that of youth voices, which inherently carries significant potential to prevent uptake of e-cigarettes by youth. Given that tobacco-use behaviours have a lasting negative impact for many years after the behaviour has been initiated, even in the event of cessation, the success of this project carries equal potential in curbing this negative impact.