Using electronic audience response technology to track e-cigarette habits among college freshmen

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Health
• Substance Use Research

Background:

• E-cigarette device use, specifically JUUL, is increasing on college campuses.
• Traditional research methods may be too slow for timely public health interventions.
• Assessing emerging trends in student substance use is crucial for effective prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the prevalence of JUUL and traditional cigarette use among college students.
• To evaluate student knowledge regarding JUUL contents, particularly nicotine.
• To highlight the need for rapid assessment tools in college health settings.

Main Methods:

• Data collected from 1940-2027 college students during orientation sessions in August 2018.
• Used immediate electronic audience response devices for anonymous data collection.
• Analyzed data using descriptive statistics to determine use rates and knowledge.

Main Results:

• Reported the highest daily e-cigarette use (13.7%) among college students in current literature.
• Past-month e-cigarette use and daily cigarette use were consistent with previous estimates.
• Significant knowledge gaps exist, with only 67.3% correctly identifying JUUL as always containing nicotine.

Conclusions:

• Urgent need for rapid assessment methods to track e-cigarette trends among college students.
• Findings underscore the importance of addressing specific knowledge gaps about JUUL.
• Closing the research-to-practice gap is essential for effective college health interventions.