Changes in the Patterns and Characteristics of Youth ENDS Use over Time.

Research on youth use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) has explored the correlates of initiation and use; however, little is known about the factors that predict continued youth use of ENDS. We used an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) burst design to explore both daily variability within adolescents over a two-week observation period and variability over time two years later (2018 and 2020). The contribution of device characteristics, motivations for use, contextual factors, and community factors to daily use occasions were explored. Youth participants (n = 35) at the start of the study were past two-week nicotine vapers, 14 to 17 years old, who resided within 100 miles of Louisville, KY, and reported past two-week ENDS use. Close to a quarter of participants ceased all tobacco use two years later, suggesting that some youth, despite prior regular vaping habits, may have only been experimenting with ENDS. The regular continued use of ENDS was predicted by trying to quit using cigarettes, appealing flavors, and being in locations where cigarette use was prohibited. Except for flavors, these factors did not affect ENDS use in year one. These findings suggest that tobacco policy might target ENDS use by prohibiting all tobacco use, including ENDS, in locations where smoking is already banned.

Daily variation in the patterns and characteristics of adolescent ENDS use.

OBJECTIVE: Adolescents are more likely than young adults to use electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), yet most of what is known is concluded from young adult ENDS use as young adults are easier to survey. Additionally, while evidence about the prevalence and trends of adolescent ENDS use comes from cross-sectional studies, ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies provide greater detail about the ways in which adolescents vape and the environments that are favorable to adolescent vaping, providing important guidance for policy, prevention, and intervention. METHOD: We conducted a 2-week EMA study with 50 adolescents to assess behaviors, contexts, and characteristics of ENDS use. Given longitudinal research showing strong associations between ENDS use and use of other substances, we also examined tobacco cigarettes use, and daily concurrent use with tobacco cigarettes and marijuana. RESULTS: There was little daily variability in motivations, willingness, and intentions, or in product characteristics. ENDS use varied by day and was more frequent on weekends, whereas cigarette use was less likely on weekends. We found daily variability in contexts and the characteristics of situations where adolescents used, which were largely social-normative, including whose device was used, which flavors were used, and where and with whom adolescents used ENDS. Unexpectedly, marijuana accompanied more than a quarter of ENDS use occasions. CONCLUSIONS: Socio-ecological context is important for explaining adolescent ENDS use and it is critical to developing adolescent ENDS prevention, intervention, and treatment resources. Prevention messaging may be most relevant and effective on weekends when youth exposure to advertising and peer influences are greatest. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Peer-Led Training to Reduce Alcohol Misuse and Related Harm among Greek-Affiliated Students.

BACKGROUND: High-risk alcohol use on college campuses is a significant public health concern, especially among students in fraternities and sororities. Alcohol harm-reduction programs that include protective behavioral strategies (PBSs) provide a promising approach to curb drinking among students, yet results have been inconsistent among high-risk drinkers. Purpose: To evaluate the impact of a harm-reduction, peer-led training program called "Voice of Reason" (VOR) on alcohol knowledge and behaviors among students in Greek chapters. Methods: We conducted two studies with students directly trained in VOR (Study 1: N = 118; Study 2: N = 53) and with students in affiliated Greek chapters (Study 1: N = 1363; Study 2: N = 1446). Study 1 included 13 chapters and Study 2 included 15 chapters. Results: Results of analyses across both studies showed that among those directly trained in VOR, there were pre-post increases in alcohol knowledge, medical amnesty law awareness, talking with friends about PBS, use of PBS, and intentions to use PBS, as well as pre-post decreases in drinking and driving and riding with drinking drivers. In addition, VOR had an impact on students in affiliated chapters, indicating an increase in medical amnesty law awareness and a decrease in the number of drinks consumed on a typical day. Conclusions: Overall, results provide some early evidence of VOR impact, while also demonstrating the challenge of changing normative drinking behaviors among high-risk college students. Ongoing research is needed to assess the effectiveness of VOR, especially after successive implementations with the same chapters.