Effects of a short school-based vaping prevention program for high school students

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Health
• Tobacco Control

Background:

• Adolescents often hold misperceptions regarding e-cigarette harms and benefits.
• Effective educational programs are crucial for preventing youth initiation and use of e-cigarettes.
• School-based interventions can address these misperceptions and build refusal skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate changes in adolescents' perceptions, knowledge, refusal skills, and intentions to use e-cigarettes.
• To assess the impact of a school-based vaping prevention curriculum.
• To measure outcomes following a real-world curriculum implementation.

Main Methods:

• A 60-minute vaping prevention curriculum was delivered to 357 high school students (grades 9-12) in Kentucky.
• Pre- and post-program assessments measured e-cigarette knowledge, perceptions, refusal skills, and intentions.
• Statistical analyses included matched paired t-tests and McNemar tests of paired proportions.

Main Results:

• Participants showed statistically significant improvements in all 15 survey items related to e-cigarette perceptions (p < 0.05).
• Knowledge improved regarding e-cigarettes delivering nicotine as an aerosol (p < .001).
• Refusal skills and intentions to decline vaping improved significantly (p < .001).

Conclusions:

• A single session of a school-based vaping prevention curriculum positively influenced high school students' knowledge, perceptions, and refusal skills regarding e-cigarettes.
• The curriculum demonstrated potential in altering attitudes and intentions related to e-cigarette use.
• Further research is needed to determine the long-term effects of such interventions on actual e-cigarette use trajectories.