Vaping
Conditions
Keywords
Vaping prevention, Health communication, Tobacco Use
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the persuasive effectiveness of narrative advertisements: with acted-out plots (where characters enact a vaping-related experience) versus narrative advertisements without acted-out plots and control. Using a 3-arm between-subjects randomized design, approximately 1,910 adolescents and young adults (aged 13-20) in the U.S. who vape or are susceptible to vaping will be recruited online. Participants will be randomly assigned to view video ads from one of three conditions (narrative with acted-out plots, narrative without acted-out plots, or control videos) and complete a post-exposure survey evaluating message engagement, emotional response, perceived effectiveness, and psychological reactance.
Detailed description
Study Rationale: Health communication campaigns are an evidence-based approach to preventing and reducing tobacco product use. Narrative messaging is widely used in public health campaigns, but research is lacking to identify which specific objective message features drive narrative persuasion. This study examines whether acted-out plots improve message engagement and reduce psychological reactance among youth. Setting & Recruitment: Adolescent and young adult participants will be recruited by Qualtrics Services. Participants who are 18 to 20 years old and are eligible for the study will view a consent form as part of the survey and check a box to indicate that they agree to participate in the study. For minor participants, Qualtrics will recruit parents of 13-17-year-olds, so they will receive the survey invitation with the parental permission/consent form. From there, parents will be asked to pass the survey to their child. Once the participant has completed the consent/assent process, they will be able to begin the survey. Procedures: Eligible participants will complete a baseline screener assessing demographics and vaping product use. They will then be randomized in one of three conditions and view 3 video advertisements in a random order from their assigned group. Immediate post-ad measures will assess affective and evaluative responses, followed by a post-exposure questionnaire measuring vaping risk beliefs and behavioral susceptibility. After the survey, participants will view a debrief page linking them to The Real Cost website with information about tobacco use harms. The survey will take 15-20 minutes.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALActed-Out Narrative Ads
Participants view 3 randomly ordered vaping prevention video ads featuring characters enacting a vaping-related experience or consequence (e.g., experiencing addiction/withdrawal symptoms).
BEHAVIORALNon-Acted-Out Narrative Testimonial Ads
Participants view 3 randomly ordered narrative testimonial video ads featuring testimonial narration with static visual presentations, without character enactment.
BEHAVIORALNeutral Control Videos
Participants view 3 neutral/informational text-and-voice-only control ads about vaping without any testimonial element.
Sponsors
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
13 Years to 20 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age 13-20 years old. * Current vaper or at risk of vaping. Participants will be considered as a current vaper if they report using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days. Participants will be considered as "at-risk of vaping" if they answer anything other than "definitely not' to 3 screening items assessing their susceptibility to vaping (e.g., "If one of your best friends were to offer you a vape, would you use it?" Response options: definitely not, probably not, probably yes, definitely yes). * Live in the United States
Exclusion criteria
* Younger than 13 years or older than 21 years.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Message engagement | Baseline (after each video exposure) | Assessed using a standard 3-item self-report scale (e.g., " I could picture myself in the scene of the events described in the ad", "I was mentally involved while watching the ad"). Responses are scored on a 1-5 Likert scale, with higher averaged scores indicating deeper engagement. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Perceived Message Effectiveness | Baseline (after each video exposure) | The 3-item perceived message effectiveness scale assesses the extent to which participants perceived the vaping prevention video ads as effective. Response options are on a 5-point scale from 1="Not at all" to 5="A great deal". The overall scale score is determined by averaging scores from the 3 items, with higher scores representing higher perceived message effectiveness. |
| Negative Affect | Baseline (after each video exposure) | Negative Affect is measured via a 3-item scale assessing negative affects (e.g., "How much do these ads make you feel anxious/ Disgusted/Scared ") on a 1-5 scale, with higher scores representing higher negative affect. |
| Psychological Reactance | Baseline (after each video exposure) | Evaluated using a single-item measure of message resistance ( " How much does this ad annoy you? ") scored on a 1-5 scale, with higher scores representing higher reactance. |
| Vaping Susceptibility | Baseline (after each video exposure) | Evaluated using a 3-item index evaluating future intentions (e.g., "Do you think you will use an e-cigarette or vape in the next year?") scored on a 1-4 response scale, with higher scores representing vaping susceptibility. |
| Vaping beliefs | Baseline (after each video exposure) | Evaluated using an 8-item index evaluating future intentions (e.g., " If you vape, how likely or unlikely is it that you will… Become addicted to vaping/ Breathe in dangerous chemicals?") scored on a 1-5 response scale, with higher scores representing higher vaping beliefs. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTVictoria Triana
CONTACTCaroline Ritchie
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSeth M Noar, PhD
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORSarah Kowitt, PhD
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Outcome results
None listed