In a Canadian study, teenage researchers engaged their peers in focus groups to explore the realities of teenage vaping, uncovering troubling trends in usage and access but also identifying potential strategies for effective anti-vaping interventions.
By Priyanjana Pramanik, MSc.Nov 7 2023Reviewed by Susha Cheriyedath, M.Sc. In a novel study currently in press at the journal SSM – Qualitative Research and Health, a group of adult and teenage researchers in Canada conducted focus group discussions with teenagers to learn about their experiences navigating vaping in their day-to-day lives. Their findings indicate worrying trends in the availability of vaping devices but point toward heartening avenues for progress.
With emerging evidence that e-cigarette use can have adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and affect impulse control, concentration, and memory, reducing vaping rates among adolescents and teenagers is an important health issue. Teenagers who vape are at risk of becoming dependent on nicotine and other addictive substances; they may also move from e-cigarettes to cigarettes in the future.
Adult investigators trained the student co-researchers on qualitative research methods and ethics. The co-researchers then conducted focus group discussions with high school students between 13 and 19 years old who were residing in Canada. All FGD participants had previously taken part in an e-survey and indicated they were interested in being part of an online focus group.
Peer pressure and easy access Participants in the FGDs felt that vaping-based content was 'unavoidable' on social media. These included both formal advertisements and promoted posts, as well as personal posts and stories in which teenagers shared their experiences with friends as followers. Influencers posted videos of them doing vaping 'tricks' hoping to go viral, thus encouraging the normalization of these practices.
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