Product Characteristics, Marketing, and E-cigarette and Cigarette Use Across Adolescence and Young Adulthood
Affiliated Groups
Status
In progress
Overview
Description:
This project, known as TCORS Project 3, will test hypothesized e-cigarette product characteristics and marketing strategies that may attract never-smokers and put them at risk for tobacco product use but do not affect the likelihood that young smokers will adopt and switch to e-cigarettes. Examples of product features that may disproportionately attract never smokers (vs. smokers) include sweet flavors (vs. tobacco or other flavors), devices and e-liquid compositions used to generate large aerosol clouds for “vape tricks” (vs. devices that look and feel like cigarettes), and youth-oriented marketing strategies for e-liquid naming (such as “Kustard Killer”) and packaging with cartoon images. Researchers will survey participants in a cohort of adolescents and young adults (ages 14-25) in Southern California. Findings may inform future regulatory activities related to e-cigarettes.
Project Aims:
Aim 1: To evaluate the associations of: (a) product characteristics and marketing exposure with e-cigarette interest, (b) e-cigarette interest with subsequent initiation, and (c) marketing exposure with subsequent initiation.
Aim 2: To evaluate the association of (a) e-cigarette initiation with cigarette initiation and progression, or discontinuation of tobacco product use, and (b) e-cigarette product characteristics and marketing exposure with dual use, nicotine dependence, or discontinuation of tobacco product use.
Aim 3: To evaluate whether associations of product characteristics and marketing with outcomes observed in Aims 1 and 2 differ between baseline never-smokers and smokers.
Principal Investigators
Explore Research
Evaluation of Two Tribal MAT Grants
The USC team will also conduct a program evaluation to assess grantee efforts as well as successes and areas for improvement in both the NMAT and TUICDBP grants. Regarding grantee efforts, the USC team seeks to understand strengths, challenges, and key takeaways of grantee approaches to implementing community-defined best practices.
Substance Use Disorder Policy Advocacy Training Program
USC is delivering the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Policy Advocacy Training Program to address the need for policy advocates focused on SUD issues in California’s American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities.
Collaboration Improvement Project
Challenges around collaboration between state/local entities and American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) Tribal nations and Tribal/Urban Indian organizations are common nationwide and span many areas of work. Seeking to learn more about and address some of these challenges, the USC Keck School of Medicine will carry out a project to explore and address some of these challenges as they relate to substance use disorder/opioid use disorder in California.