https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7071-6491
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ABSTRACT
Purpose
To understand from the perspectives of school professionals, parents and young people the socio-ecological factors that may facilitate and prevent e-cigarette use among young people in Perth, Western Australia.
Methods
Purposive sampling was used to recruit school professionals, parents and young people for one-on-one (n = 35) or joint (n = 3) interviews (in-person n = 11 or online n = 27). Data were analysed using thematic analysis and classified into four domains based on the socio-ecological model: i) individual, ii) interpersonal, iii) organizational/community and iv) societal/policy.
Results
Factors that were found to support vaping among young people included sensation-seeking and risk-taking behaviour; a low-risk perception of vapes; attractive characteristics of vapes; ease of access; perception vaping is a social activity; and lack of knowledge about vaping among parents and school professionals. Vaping prevention messages originating from the familial, educational and community spheres are lacking but wanted by adults and young people.
Conclusions
The pervasiveness of the e-cigarette trade and persistent challenges related to surveillance and enforcement need to be addressed to reduce exposure and access to e-cigarettes. A mixture of “hard” and “soft” public policy tools involving key stakeholders in a range of settings is needed to prevent e-cigarette access and uptake by young people.
Acknowledgments
The authors extend their gratitude to Meg McLeod, Ramya Sridhar and Phoebe Adams who provided project administration support; and to the people who participated in this study – thank you for your time and insights.
Author contributions
Funding acquisition: J.J., K.M., B.F., K.W, T.L.; conceptualization: J.J., K.M., B.F., K.W, T.L.; project administration: J.J., K.M., F.L; data curation: F.L., J.J.; formal analysis: S.B, K.M, J.J.; methodology: J.J., K.M., B.F., K.W, T.L.; writing—original draft: K.M, S.B.; writing—review and editing: J.J., S.B., B.F., K.W, T.L., F.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Disclosure statement
BF has received relevant consulting fees from the World Health Organization, Heart Foundation NSW, Cancer Council NSW, Cancer Council Australia, Cancer Institute NSW and NSW Health, and payments or honoraria for lectures/presentations to the Department of Health, the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the US Food and Drug Administration and BMJ Tobacco Control. She has received relevant research grant funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Healthway, and the Medical Research Future Fund. She reports support to attend the Oceania Tobacco Control conference and the Australian Public Health Association conference. She was an Expert Member of the National Health and Medical Research Council Electronic Cigarettes Working Committee (paid role). BF is an expert advisor to the Cancer Council Tobacco Issues Committee and a member of the Cancer Institute Vaping Communications Advisory Panel (unpaid roles). JJ has received funding from the WA Health Promotion Foundation (Healthway). She is also on the Board of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health (unpaid role). The other authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Geolocation information
This study was undertaken within the Greater Capital City Statistical Area of Perth, Western Australia.
Notes
1. A speakers bureau is a collection of speakers who talk about a particular subject, usually drawing from their lived experience.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Kahlia McCausland
Dr Kahlia McCausland is an International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) Registered Health Promotion Practitioner and Research Fellow within the Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health (CERIPH), Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University. Her research interests include tobacco control, specifically e-cigarettes; sexual health; and homelessness. She is motivated by the desire to undertake research that has real-world applications and addresses current public health issues. Kahlia volunteers her time to the Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA) National Accreditation Organisation (NAO) Registration Sub-committee.
Sue Booth
Dr Sue Booth works as a casual research fellow for a number of Australian universities. She is a former dietitian/public health nutritionist with over thirty years of experience. Her teaching and research interests include food insecurity and the impact of poverty on health, food policy, food democracy and qualitative research methods. She conducts qualitative research predominantly with people who are marginalised and may have experienced discrimination. Her qualitative research is informed by a desire to amplify the voices of rarely heard Australians and use their unique stories and experiences to strive for better public health policy outcomes.
Francene Leaversuch
Francene Leaversuch is an International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) Registered Health Promotion Practitioner and Sessional Academic within the Collaboration for Evidence, Research and Impact in Public Health (CERIPH), Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University. Her research interests include tobacco control; skin health; and drowning prevention. Francene is motivated to undertake research that partners with communities in research design, application and outcomes. Francene volunteers her time to the Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA) Health Promotion Ethics Project (HPEP) and Online Journal Club (OJC) working groups.
Becky Freeman
Dr Becky Freeman is a public health academic within the School of Public Health, University of Sydney. She is a tobacco control policy expert and a global authority on how social media is used to circumvent tobacco advertising bans and pioneered research methods in tracking and analysing online social media content. Dr Freeman leads a program of research focused on countering the commercial determinants of health and is the Chief Investigator of the Generation Vape research project. Prior to pursuing her research interests in Australia, Becky worked for both government and not-for-profit organisations in Canada and New Zealand.
Katharina Wolf
Dr Katharina Wolf is an Associate Professor in the School of Management and Marketing at Curtin University and Lead of the Faculty of Business and Law’s public relations program. Katharina draws on more than twenty years of communication and media experience, as an educator and industry professional. Her industry experience encompasses communication and research roles in Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and Australia. Her research interests include activism, (community) advocacy, civic engagement and public interest communication. Katharina is passionate about student-centred and work-integrated learning; a commitment that has been recognised with a number of local, national and international awards.
Tama Leaver
Dr Tama Leaver is a Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia and an expert media commentator. He is the President of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) and a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child. Professor Leaver has been awarded teaching awards from the University of Western Australia, Curtin University, and in 2012 received a national Australian Award for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities and the Arts. He can be found online at http://www.tamaleaver.net.
Jonine Jancey
Dr Jonine Jancey is a Professor of Public Health at Curtin University. She has successfully fulfilled many leadership roles and is currently Director of the Centre for Evidence, Impact and Research in Public Health (CERIPH), which she combines with her research and teaching roles, complemented by over 20 years in public health and health promotion. Professor Jancey’s research focuses on health promotion and disease prevention, in the areas of physical activity, nutrition, sexual health, mental health and tobacco control. Here she applies her expertise to gather evidence to be translated into real-world outcomes. She is an enthusiastic mentor of students and early career academics.