Reducing E-Cigarette Use Among U.S. Youth – "Escape the Vape"

Reducing E-Cigarette Use Among U.S. Youth – "Escape the Vape"

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Vaping or the use of e-cigarettes is not only a health concern but also a behavior change problem. The youths are prone to behavior change, and thus, there is a need to create awareness through structured health campaigns. Various factors contribute to the increased vaping behavior among the youth, such as misleading marketing, peer influence, flavor appeal, nicotine addiction, and cultural sensitivity. "Escape the Vape" is a health campaign that encourages Minnesota 6th to 12th graders to participate in a video challenge aimed at reducing vaping among U.S. youths. To understand this topic, it is vital to consider two significant theories: Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and Diffusion of Innovations (DOI). SCT is a change theory that enhances observational learning, empowerment, and social modeling. On the other hand, DOI is a predictive theory that stresses information dissemination through different communication channels. This paper will analyze the factors that influence youth vaping behavior and how the "Escape the Vape" messages align with such factors.

Literature Review

Misleading Marketing

According to D'Angelo et al. (2021), E-cigarette companies' deceptive marketing drives youth vaping. Advertisements encourage teens to try vaping, a worrying trend in young nicotine consumption. Deceptive marketing relies on SCT's observational learning premise. By exposing tobacco's deception, the "Escape the Vape" campaign targets this factor. The campaign exposes the industry's manipulation of young consumers across multiple platforms. Real pupils emerge as role models who overcome peer pressure and addiction (Koutroubas & Galanakis, 2022). SCT emphasizes observational learning's impact on behavior. The campaign uses a personal agency to encourage youth to reject tobacco industry misinformation by telling real stories. The effort disrupts bad behaviors in the DOI. Critical networks and early adopters spread ideas like the anti-vaping campaign, according to DOI. This idea helps the "Escape the Vape" campaign reach its audience through multiple platforms. Instagram and YouTube are used to spread counter-narratives and stop youth vaping. The campaign teaches youngsters about deceptive marketing and enables them to refuse e-cigarettes through SCT and DOI-aligned strategic messaging. The "Escape the Vape" campaign can change youth vaping behavior by actively opposing the tobacco business.

Peer Influence

According to Vannucci et al. (2020), studies suggest that peer influence increases risky behavior, including substance use, among teenagers. Peer pressure often leads adolescents to take drugs, including vaping. Understanding and combating vaping requires acknowledging peer influence. The "Escape the Vape" campaign addresses peer pressure on youth vaping onset. The campaign promotes positive peer dynamics by encouraging PSA video challenge participation (Escape the Vape, n.d.). Latha et al. (2020) argue that successful campaigns comprehend the target audience, use emotionally appealing themes, and use proper platforms. For instance, the tobacco "Truth" campaign reduced young smoking (Colston et al., 2021). SCT guides the portrayal of real pupils as role models who overcome peer pressure and addiction. The campaign uses peer-generated content to create relevant storylines, promoting the idea that people may emulate their peers. The program leverages youth early adopters and opinion leaders under the DOI. As early adopters, contestants spread anti-vaping messages to their peers. Such supports DOI's emphasis on important people promoting innovation uptake. The "Escape the Vape" campaign empowers students to oppose vaping by actively enlisting peers in content creation and dissemination. The campaign understands the harmful effects of peer dynamics on youth vaping behavior and uses social media to spread a counter-narrative, promoting community-driven behavior change. The literature on vaping's negative impacts on mental and physical health contextualizes the campaign's messaging. Javed et al. (2022) argue that vaping causes anxiety, depression, and toxic chemicals, and thus, this emphasizes the need for campaigns like "Escape the Vape."

Flavor Appeal: Youth Preferences

E-cigarette flavor appeal is a significant factor influencing youth vaping. D'Angelo et al. (2021) discovered that the alluring flavors offered by tobacco businesses contribute to the entrance of young individuals into nicotine use. Fruity and candy scents attract youths to vaping. Reducing e-cigarette use demands an in-depth comprehension of flavor appeal. The campaign demonstrates how the industry's tasty flavors and appealing packaging entice youths to use e-cigarettes. Through promoting these techniques, the initiative seeks to lessen youth vaping. The campaign emphasizes observational learning and social modeling. The campaign offers real experiences of students who refuse flavored e-cigarettes, thus offering realistic role models to the intended demographics. The campaign portrays individuals who have resisted enticing flavors to demonstrate how observation and empowerment may alter behavior. Following the DOI, the initiative distributes anti-vaping messages to various media outlets (Ali et al., 2019). Lawes-Wickwar et al. (2021) indicate that involving receivers in the creation of messages and dissemination enhances campaign efforts. The campaign uses traditional and online media to connect with a diverse population impacted by various channels. Mass media and personal relationships disseminate information and innovations, according to the DOI theory. The "Escape the Vape" campaign focuses on flavor appeal through SCT and DOI. It uses empathetic narratives and multiple means of communication to increase awareness of misleading advertising and compensate for the impact of appealing flavors on youth vaping. Choi and Abraham's (2021) research recognized that although the current decline in vaping incidents among American youth is