Introduction
Understanding the factors influencing vaping cessation among young people is crucial for targeted interventions. This review aimed to summarize the individual and environmental factors that predict vaping cessation related behaviours in the young population.
Methods
We systematically searched five databases for studies investigating predictors of vaping cessation behaviours among young people aged 10-35 years. Studies that examined predictors of cessation of cigarettes, other tobacco products, cannabis vaping, and studies evaluating efficacy of cessation interventions were excluded. Quality in Prognosis Studies tool was used to assess risk of bias.
Results
We found 24 studies analyzing predictors of intention to quit vaping (n=15), quit attempts (n=11), and vaping abstinence (n=7). Most studies had low risk of bias, except for study attrition. We identified 107 predictors and grouped them into ‘probable’, ‘possible’, ‘insufficient evidence’, ‘probably unrelated’, and ‘inconsistent direction’ categories. For ‘probable’ predictors, we found 11 for intention to quit, 8 for quit attempts and 5 for vaping abstinence. Overall, harm perception of vaping, current other tobacco products use, frequency of use, and level of nicotine dependence were common ‘probable’ predictors across three outcomes, with low harm perception of vaping, dual use, and poly tobacco use associated with decreased intention to quit and quit attempts in younger population (~10-19 years).
Conclusions
Predictive modelling studies investigating vaping cessation related behaviours among young people is still limited. Future research should specifically study the natural history of vaping in youth in different jurisdictions, populations, and age groups to expand our knowledge on this area.
IMPLICATIONS
We identified and categorized predictors of intention to quit vaping, quit attempts, and vaping abstinence among young people. While the ‘probable’ predictors can inform public health and policymakers to plan targeted vaping cessation programs for high-risk populations, raising public harm perception of vaping and encouraging to quit other tobacco products might increase intention to quit and quit attempts among younger population. However, the ‘possible’, ‘insufficient evidence’ and ‘inconsistent direction’ predictors needs further testing by future prospective longitudinal research. Additionally, we emphasized the significance of appropriate study designs, conducting research across various jurisdictions, and different population groups to obtain comprehensive insights
