Perceptions and Aspirations Toward Peer Mentoring in Social Media-Based Electronic Cigarette Cessation Interventions for Adolescents and Young Adults: Focus Group Study

Enhancing Text Message Support With Media Literacy and Financial Incentives for Vaping Cessation in Young Adults: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

The persistent high prevalence of e-cigarette use among young adults remains a significant public health concern, with limited evidence and guidance on effective vaping cessation programs targeting this population.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to outline the study design and protocol of a pilot randomized controlled trial aimed at investigating feasibility and assessing whether media literacy education or financial incentives enhance the effectiveness of evidence-based text message support in promoting vaping abstinence among young adult e-cigarette users.

METHODS

The pilot study uses a 4-arm (1:1:1:1) randomized controlled trial design to assess the potential impact of different combinations of media literacy education, financial incentives, and text message support on vaping abstinence over a 3-month period. The first month serves as a preparatory phase for quitting, followed by 2 months focused on abstinence. A total of 80 individuals, aged 19-29 years, who have used e-cigarettes within the past 30 days, have internet access, and express interest in quitting vaping within the next 30 days, will be enrolled. Eligible individuals will be randomized into one of the four study groups: (1) Text Message, (2) Media Literacy, (3) Financial Incentive, and (4) Combined. All participants, regardless of group assignment, will receive text message support. Participants will be followed for 12 weeks, with abstinence status assessed at week 12, as well as during remote check-ins at weeks 6, 8, and 10. Feasibility measures include recruitment rate, reach, engagement, and retention. Other outcomes of interest include self-reported 7-day abstinence and changes in nicotine dependence and media literacy scores. Exit interviews will be conducted with those who complete the study to explore facilitators of and barriers to participation and engagement in vaping cessation, which will inform future program refinement and uptake.

RESULTS

Recruitment for the study commenced in December 2023 and concluded in August 2024. A total of 40 participants were randomized into these groups: 9 for Text Message, 11 for Media Literacy, 10 for Financial Incentive, and 10 for the Combined group. The final assessment was completed in November 2024, and analyses are currently ongoing.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings from this trial could provide valuable insights into the design and uptake of vaping cessation strategies among the young adult population.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05586308; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05586308.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/60527.

Social Media and Adolescents (Opportunities and Threats): A Letter to Editor

The Article Abstract is not available.

Impact of Financial Disclosures and Health Warnings on Youth and Young Adult Perceptions of Pro-E-cigarette Instagram Posts

INTRODUCTION

We examined the impact of financial disclosures and warning labels on pro-e-cigarette Instagram posts and their association with attitudes toward the ad and product among youth and young adults.

METHODS

During March to May 2021, we conducted a factorial experiment using an online convenience sample of youth and young adults (N = 1687, Mage = 21.54). Participants were randomized to one of four conditions: pro-e-cigarette Instagram posts with only a financial disclosure, only a warning label, both a financial disclosure + warning label, or no financial disclosure or warning label. After viewing the posts, participants answered questions regarding their attitude toward the ad and the product. We used one-way ANOVA to estimate the association of condition on outcomes controlling for demographics.

RESULTS

Young adults who viewed Instagram posts with only a financial disclosure reported more positive attitudes toward the ad than those who viewed posts with both a financial disclosure + warning label (p < .05). Young adults who viewed posts with only a financial disclosure reported more positive attitudes toward the product than those who viewed posts with only a warning label, both a financial disclosure + warning label, and without either (ps < .05). Differences were not statistically significant for youth. E-cigarette use status was associated with increased positive attitudes toward the ad (p < .001) and product (p < .001) for all participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results can inform policy interventions to mitigate the effects of e-cigarette social media marketing among youth and young adults. Including financial disclosures may not decrease appeal of e-cigarettes compared to posts without either.

IMPLICATIONS

Findings from the study suggest that a warning label may be more effective in reducing the effects of pro-e-cigarette social media posts than a financial disclosure among young adults. Public health officials should examine additional strategies beyond financial disclosures and warning labels (eg, social media peer mentoring program) to offset the persuasive effects of pro-e-cigarette social media marketing posts on young people. Additional policy interventional efforts are needed to limit the impact of e-cigarette social media marketing.

Treatment-seeking young people enrolled in a United States vaping cessation intervention trial report high frequency of use and nicotine dependence

Objective

This study examines characteristics of participants enrolled in a vaping cessation intervention trial and study generalizability of the treatment-seeking sample to the broader population of young people interested in quitting vaping to evaluate dissemination of an evidence-based treatment program.

Methods

Data was obtained from 697 treatment-seeking participants (aged 13-24 years) from a vaping cessation intervention trial conducted between February and March 2023 with This is Quitting and 665 participants who expressed intent to quit vaping in the Truth Longitudinal Cohort, a nationally representative longitudinal study of United States youth and young adults (aged 15-24 years), collected October 2022 to February 2023. Comparisons were made using two-sample Pearson Chi-square tests and t-tests.

Results

Treatment-seeking young people were younger, less racially diverse, more diverse in sexual orientation, and reported higher psychological distress, frequency of e-cigarette use, and nicotine dependence, relative to the nationally representative sample of young people expressing intentions to quit vaping.

Conclusions

Participants enrolled in treatment reported higher levels of dependence and use frequency than the broader population, suggesting that many young e-cigarette users with lower dependence who want to quit might not be reached by current treatment dissemination efforts. The implication of these findings is that communications for vaping cessation programs may need to be adjusted to have broader appeal among young people.