E-cigarette school policy and staff training: Knowledge and school policy experiences with e-cigarette products among a national sample of US middle and high school staff

Abstract

Background As youth e-cigarette use has surged in the last several years, teachers and school administrators have reported challenges addressing student use of emerging e-cigarette products on school property. While federal policy prohibits smoking in U.S. schools that receive federal funding, school e-cigarette bans only exist where states or localities have acted. Little is known about school staff experiences with implementing these relatively new policies; this study examines associations between school e-cigarette policies and trainings on school staff awareness and intervention on student e-cigarette use. Methods A national convenience sample of 1,526 U.S. middle- and high-school teachers and administrators was surveyed in November-December 2018. Among respondents who provided their job title and indicated that they worked in a school rather than a district (n = 1,480, response rate = 97.0%), separate logistic regressions examine associations of school policies and policy training with e-cigarette awareness and intervention on student e-cigarette use. Results Despite being the most popular e-cigarette at the time, fewer than half (47.5%) of respondents identified an image of a JUUL device as an e-cigarette. However, respondents reporting the presence of e-cigarette policies in their schools had higher odds of recognizing e-cigarettes (OR = 3.85, p<0.01), including photo recognition of JUUL (OR = 1.90, p<0.001). Respondents reporting e-cigarette policies also had higher odds of reporting intervention on student e-cigarette use (communicating with students about e-cigarette avoidance: OR = 2.32, p<0.001; reporting students had been caught using e-cigarettes at school: OR = 1.54, p<0.05). Among respondents reporting a school e-cigarette policy, those trained on the policy had higher odds of JUUL photo recognition (OR = 1.54, p<0.01). Respondents trained on e-cigarette policies also had higher odds of reporting intervention (communicating: OR = 3.89, p<0.001; students caught using e-cigarettes: OR = 2.71, p<0.001). Conclusions As new tobacco products enter the market, school policies may be important tools to raise school personnel awareness of and intervention on emerging e-cigarette product use. However, policy adoption alone is not sufficient; policy training may further aid in recognition and intervention upon student use of e-cigarettes at school.

Educators’ perceptions of e-cigarettes in Australian secondary schools

“…However, research assessing schoolbased vaping prevention efforts is limited and has largely been conducted in the US. This research found that school-level policies play an important role in preventing and restricting e-cigarette use 12,23 . For example, use is significantly lower at schools that have a policy prohibiting vaping on school grounds compared to schools without such a policy 23 .…”

“…Secondary schools are a setting in which e-cigarette use among students has increased significantly in the last decade, especially in countries such as the US and the UK [5][6][7] . Results from studies conducted in the US suggest on-campus use of e-cigarettes is common [8][9][10] , with most educators considering use on school grounds to be a problem and expressing concerns 11,12 . Research assessing Australian educators' perceptions of e-cigarette use in secondary schools is limited, with just one study published to date 13 .…”

“…For example, use is significantly lower at schools that have a policy prohibiting vaping on school grounds compared to schools without such a policy 23 . The presence of an e-cigarette policy has also been found to be associated with greater awareness of e-cigarettes among school staff and greater odds of school personnel communicating with students about avoiding e-cigarette use 12 . These findings underscore the importance of implementing school-based e-cigarette policies to reduce vaping among youth and support staff to communicate about e-cigarettes, both of which have the potential to change schoolbased norms 12 .…”

“…The presence of an e-cigarette policy has also been found to be associated with greater awareness of e-cigarettes among school staff and greater odds of school personnel communicating with students about avoiding e-cigarette use 12 . These findings underscore the importance of implementing school-based e-cigarette policies to reduce vaping among youth and support staff to communicate about e-cigarettes, both of which have the potential to change schoolbased norms 12 . Yet, most Australian schools do not have e-cigarette policies in place 13 .…”

A resurgence of e-cigarette use among adolescents and young adults late in the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Schools and colleges can take steps to reduce e-cigarette use on campus through policy implementation, though the presence of a policy alone may not be sufficient [ 20 ]. Schools need to train staff to be aware of emerging products, and how to intervene in non-punitive ways to reduce underage access and use [ 21 ]. Additionally, flavor policy restrictions at the local level can play a role in reducing retail access to flavored e-cigarettes, thus reducing the likelihood of underage use [ 22 ].…”