The purpose of this trial is to determine whether a vaping prevention text message program reduces susceptibility to vaping among adolescents and young adults. This study addresses this issue by exposing participants to a vaping prevention text message program over a 28-day period in a randomized controlled trial with a matched attention control condition. A follow-up assessment is also made 4 weeks after the text messaging ends.
Tobacco prevention communication is a key tool for reducing tobacco use among adolescents and young adults. While the use of e-cigarettes and vaping has increased greatly among adolescents and young adults, there has been a dearth of research on effective communication strategies to reduce vaping. This study will test the impact of a text-messaging program on reducing susceptibility to vaping in a randomized controlled trial, illuminating whether such programs can be effective. The investigators focus on adolescents and young adults (ages 13-20) who currently vape or who are at risk of vaping. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either a vaping prevention text message program or a wellness text message program (control). Participants in the study will take 4 online surveys over an 8-week period - at Visit 1 (baseline), Visit 2 (2 weeks), Visit 3 (4 weeks), and Visit 4 (8 weeks).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
480
Participants will receive text messages (2 daily, on average) about the harms of e-cigarette use and vaping for 28 days, with introductory messages sent on day 1 and concluding messages sent on day 28. Each vaping prevention text message will focus on one of six topics: nicotine addiction, monetary costs of vaping, chemical exposures from e-cigarette vapor, cosmetic effects of vaping, mental and physical use symptoms of vaping, and health impact on organs from vaping. Some text messages will ask participants for a reply (i.e., two-way messages).
Participants will receive text messages (2 daily, on average) about general wellness topics, with introductory messages sent on day 1 and concluding messages sent on day 28. Each wellness text message will focus on one of six topics: sleep hygiene, safe driving, sun safety, study habits, nutrition, and exercise. This attention control condition is matched with the intervention condition in that participants will receive the same number of text messages over the same number of days, the same intervention structure (e.g., 6 topics), and the same number and types of two-way messages.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
Mean Susceptibility to Vaping Score
The mean susceptibility to vaping score will be assessed using the questionnaire. Response options are on a 1 to 4 scale. Overall scale scores are determined by summing scores of the 3 items and dividing them by 3 (range 1-4), with higher scores representing a greater susceptibility to vaping (a worse outcome).
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Vaping Instrumental Attitudes Score
The mean vaping instrumental attitudes score will be assessed using the questionnaire. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale. Overall scale scores are determined by summing scores of the 3 items and dividing them by 3 (range 1-5), with higher scores representing a belief that vaping is more beneficial, safe and healthy.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Vaping Affective Attitudes Score
.The mean vaping affective attitudes score will be assessed using the questionnaire. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale. Overall scale scores are determined by summing scores of the 3 items and dividing them by 3 (range 1-5), with higher scores representing a belief that vaping is more enjoyable, pleasant, and fun.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Vaping Addiction Risk Beliefs Score
The mean vaping addiction risk beliefs score will be assessed using the questionnaire. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale. Overall scale scores are determined by summing scores of the 3 items and dividing them by 3 (range 1-5), with higher scores representing more tendency to addiction.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Vaping Monetary Cost Beliefs Score
The mean vaping monetary cost beliefs score will be assessed using the questionnaire. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale. Overall scale scores are determined by summing scores of the 3 items and dividing them by 3 (range 1-5), with higher scores represents participants' believes that vaping is a costly activity.
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Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Vaping Chemical Risk Beliefs Score
The mean vaping chemical risk beliefs score will be assessed using the questionnaire. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale. Overall scale scores are determined by summing scores of the 3 items and dividing them by 3 (range 1-5), with higher scores representing participant's believes that e-cigarette vapor contains chemicals that pose health risks.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Vaping Cosmetic Risk Beliefs Score
The mean vaping cosmetic risk beliefs score will be assessed using the questionnaire. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale. Overall scale scores are determined by summing scores of the 3 items and dividing them by 3 (range 1-5), with higher scores representing participant belief that use will harm their cosmetic appearance.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Vaping Health Symptoms Beliefs Score
The mean vaping physical symptoms of use beliefs score will be assessed using the questionnaire. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale. Overall scale scores are determined by summing scores of the 3 items and dividing them by 3 (range 1-5), with higher scores represent participant believes that e-cigarette use will cause certain physical symptoms.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Vaping Mental Health Symptoms of Use Beliefs Score
The mean vaping mental health symptoms of use beliefs score will be assessed using the questionnaire. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale. Overall scale scores are determined by summing scores of the 3 items and dividing them by 3 (range 1-5), with higher scores represent participant believes that e-cigarette use will cause or worsen mental health symptoms.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Vaping Health Organ Risk Beliefs Score
The mean vaping health organ risk beliefs score will be assessed using the questionnaire. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale. Overall scale scores are determined by summing scores of the 3 items and dividing them by 3 (range 1-5), with higher scores representing participant believes that e-cigarette use will harm the health of certain organs.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Susceptibility to Smoking Cigarettes Score
The mean susceptibility to smoking cigarettes score will be assessed using the questionnaire. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale. Overall scale scores are determined by summing scores of the 3 items and dividing them by 3 (range 1-5), with higher scores represent participant more open to smoking.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Smoking Instrumental Attitude Score
The 1-item mean smoking instrumental attitude measure assesses a participant's attitude toward smoking. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale, with higher scores representing a more harmful perception of smoking.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Smoking Affective Attitude Score
The 1-item mean smoking affective attitude measure assesses a participant's attitude toward smoking (unenjoyable/enjoyable). Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale, with higher scores representing a more enjoyable attitude toward smoking.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Smoking Addiction Risk Belief Score
The 1-item mean smoking addiction risk belief measure assesses the extent to which a participant believes that smoking will lead to addiction. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale, with higher scores representing beliefs that smoking will lead to addiction.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Smoking Health Harm Risk Belief Score
The 1-item mean smoking health harm risk belief measure assesses the extent to which a participant believes that smoking will lead to health harm. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale, with higher scores representing higher beliefs that smoking will cause to health harm.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Vaping Injunctive Norms Score
The 3-item mean vaping injunctive norms scale assesses a participant's perception of others' approval or disapproval of their vaping behavior. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale. Overall scores are determined by summing the scores of the 3 items and dividing them by 3 (range 1-5), with higher scores representing a participant's perception of others' approval about vaping.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Mean Vaping Refusal Self-efficacy Score
The 3-item mean vaping refusal self-efficacy scale assesses a participant's confidence that they could refuse to vape in a social situation. Response options are on a 1 to 5 scale. Overall scores are determined by summing the scores of the 3 items and dividing them by 3 (range 1-5), with higher scores representing a higher amount of refuse to vape in a social situation.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Frequency of Vaping
Participants will be asked the number of days they vaped over the past 30 days, with higher scores indicating more days vaped.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Frequency of Cigarette Smoking
Participants will be asked the number of days they smoked cigarettes over the past 30 days, with higher scores indicating more days smoked.
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)
Frequency of Using Other Tobacco Products
Participants will be asked if they used other tobacco products (OTP) over the past 30 days. OTP use will be determined as follows: no use = person who doesn't use OTPs; used = person who uses OTPs; no response = person who skipped or refused to answer
Time frame: Visit 3 (4 weeks)