Vaping, Acculturation, and Social Media Use Among Mexican American College Students: Protocol for a Mixed Methods...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Social Science
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Tobacco industry marketing via social media targets minority youth, increasing vaping risks.
• Mexican American college student enrollment in Texas is rising, yet research on vaping influences is limited.
• Understanding social media's impact and acculturation's role in vaping among this demographic is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the mixed methods of Project Vaping, Acculturation, and Media Study (VAMoS).
• To present descriptive analyses of study participants.
• To highlight methodological strengths and lessons learned in study implementation.

Main Methods:

• Project VAMoS employs a longitudinal mixed-methods approach with Mexican American college students in Texas.
• Phase 1 included ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and qualitative interviews.
• Phase 2 involves cognitive interviews and a 4-wave web-based survey with objective social media exposure assessments.

Main Results:

• The EMA sample included 51 participants; the web-based survey cohort comprised 1492 Mexican American students.
• Participants were predominantly female, US-born, and of middle socioeconomic status.
• The web-based survey cohort maintained a 74.7% retention rate from baseline to wave 2.

Conclusions:

• Project VAMoS is a pioneering longitudinal mixed-methods study on social media, acculturation, and vaping in Mexican American college students.
• Objective measurement of social media exposure enhances data validity beyond national surveys.
• Results will support the development of culturally tailored vaping prevention interventions for this growing population.