Interventions to Mitigate Vaping Misinformation: A Meta-Analysis

Noticing education campaigns or public health messages about vaping among youth in the United States, Canada and England from 2018 to 2022

“…Understanding the extent to which the public are exposed to vaping campaigns or messages is important because campaigns/messages can change public perceptions of vaping harms [ 1 , 24 , 25 ] particularly when provided by public health bodies which are viewed as credible sources of information [ 25–27 ]. Evidence suggests that vaping campaigns/messages aiming to deter youth vaping and highlighting that vaping is harmful can increase perceptions that vaping is harmful [ 1 , 25 ]; however, they can also result in overestimation of the harms of vaping relative to smoking [ 1 , 25 ].…”

Online platforms' framing around vaping

“…The recent introduction of alternative forms of nicotine products into the marketplace (e.g., e-cigarettes/vapes, heated tobacco products, and smokeless tobacco) has led to a more complex informational environment. [1][2][3][4] The scientific consensus is that vape aerosol contains fewer numbers and lower levels of toxicants than smoke from combustible tobacco cigarettes. 5 Among youth in the United States, adolescent nicotine vaping use increased from 2017 to 2019 but then started declining in 2020, which includes a decline in daily vaping as well.…”

“…7 Given that vaping is represented in the public health environment both as a smoking cessation tool and as a harm to youth health, it is highly controversial and polarizing, 8,9 with inconsistent messaging across various platforms. 4 Due to such messaging, recent surveys indicate that many smokers in England and the United States believe that vaping is at least as harmful to health as combustible cigarettes, 10,11 perhaps deterring current cigarette smokers who are unable to quit smoking from considering reducing harms by switching to vapes as a tool to be used for a period of time to assist in achieving abstinence from cigarettes. 12 Regarding the outbreak of vapingrelated lung injury (EVALI), most cases were related to consumption of vitamin E acetate, an additive included in some tetrahydrocannabinol devices.…”

“…The recent introduction of alternative forms of nicotine products into the marketplace (e.g., e‐cigarettes/vapes, heated tobacco products, and smokeless tobacco) has led to a more complex informational environment 1–4 . The scientific consensus is that vape aerosol contains fewer numbers and lower levels of toxicants than smoke from combustible tobacco cigarettes 5 .…”

“…Among adults, a Cochrane review found that nicotine vapes probably do help people to stop smoking for at least 6 months and working better than nicotine replacement therapy and nicotine‐free e‐cigarettes 7 . Given that vaping is represented in the public health environment both as a smoking cessation tool and as a harm to youth health, it is highly controversial and polarizing, 8,9 with inconsistent messaging across various platforms 4 . Due to such messaging, recent surveys indicate that many smokers in England and the United States believe that vaping is at least as harmful to health as combustible cigarettes, 10,11 perhaps deterring current cigarette smokers who are unable to quit smoking from considering reducing harms by switching to vapes as a tool to be used for a period of time to assist in achieving abstinence from cigarettes 12 .…”