By youth, for youth: developing a digital vaping prevention program
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN17097795 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN17097795 |
- Submission date
- 21/10/2025
- Registration date
- 23/10/2025
- Last edited
- 23/10/2025
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Vaping among youth is a growing public health concern. Many young people try e-cigarettes before the age of 25 years, which can lead to nicotine addiction and other health risks. This study aims to test whether youth co-created digital messages are more effective at preventing vaping compared with traditional health messages. Unlike standard campaigns, this intervention engages youth in conceptualizing and designing the prevention messages from the start.
Who can participate?
Canadian youth aged 15–24 who are not current vapers, meaning they have not used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days and are not regular users who have recently quit. Participants must have access to the internet or a mobile device and be able to complete surveys in English. Recruitment is open to all youth who meet these criteria.
What does the study involve?
Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups:
1. Intervention group: Receives youth co-created vaping prevention messages.
2. Control group: Receives existing Health Canada vaping prevention messages.
All participants will complete online surveys at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months. These surveys will measure susceptibility to future vaping and confidence in refusing and resisting vaping in various situations.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Participants may find the youth co-created vaping prevention messages more engaging and relatable than standard health messages. These messages may help participants reflect on their attitudes and intentions around vaping. By taking part, participants also contribute to research that could improve vaping prevention efforts for other youth. The risks of participating are minimal. Completing the online surveys may take some time, and participants might feel discomfort when reflecting on vaping behaviours, peer pressure, or social influences. There are no medical treatments involved.
Where is the study run from?
The study is managed by Western University, London, Canada and the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), Kelowna, Canada.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
The overall study started in October 2024, but the Randomised Controlled Trial is expected to start in January 2026 and run until September 2026, with each participant involved for approximately six months. The overall study is anticipated to end in January 2028.
Who is funding the study?
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Canada)
Who is the main contact?
1. Dr Laura Struik, laura.struik@ubc.ca
2. Dr Kendra Nelson Ferguson, knelso42@uwo.ca
Contact information
Principal investigator
1147 Research Road
Kelowna
V1V1V7
Canada
| Phone | +1 (0)2508647879 |
|---|---|
| laura.struik@ubc.ca |
Public, Scientific
1151 Richmond Street
London
N6A5C2
Canada
| Phone | +1 (0)2042976254 |
|---|---|
| knelso42@uwo.ca |
Study information
| Study design | Randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | Other |
| Study type | Prevention |
| Participant information sheet | Not applicable |
| Scientific title | E-Prevention And Vaping (EPAV): mobilizing youth-generated evidence to co-produce a digital e-cigarette intervention |
| Study acronym | EPAV |
| Study objectives | The study aims to develop, test, and deliver a by-youth-for-youth online vaping prevention intervention. |
| Ethics approval(s) |
1. Not yet submitted, Western Research Ethics Board (1151 Richmond Street, London, N6A 5C2, Canada; +1 (0)519 661 2111 ext. 83036; ethics@uwo.ca), ref: Nil known 2. Not yet submitted, University of British Columbia Behavioural Research Ethics Board (1138 Alumni Avenue, Kelowna, V1V 1V7, Canada; +1 (0)250 807 9412; ResearchOffice.UBCO@ubc.ca), ref: Nil known 3. Not yet submitted, Athabasca University Research Ethics Board (1 University Drive, Athabasca, T9S 3A3, Canada; +1 (0)780 213 2023; rebsec@athabascau.ca), ref: Nil known 4. Not yet submitted, University of Nottingham Research Ethics Board (University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom; +44 (0)115 951 5559; ttzsf@exmail.nottingham.ac.uk), ref: Nil known |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Prevention of vaping initiation |
| Intervention | Assignment: 1 :1 assignment to intervention or control group. Participants are not explicitly informed of their group assignment. Masking: Participants, outcome assessors, data analyst. Participants are not explicitly informed of group assignment but may infer assignment from exposure or lack of exposure to the youth-created vaping prevention messaging. The outcomes assessor and the biostatistician involved in data analysis will be blinded to group assignment. Participants in the intervention arm will be exposed to a youth co-created vaping prevention video developed through a participatory design research process. The prevention messages were conceptualized and designed by youth to reflect youth perspectives, language, and experiences related to vaping. Participants in the control arm will be exposed to existing Health Canada vaping prevention materials. While youth provided feedback on these materials during their development, they did not conceptualize the content. Both groups will complete identical baseline and follow-up assessments at the same timepoints to evaluate differences in message recall, perceived relevance, attitudes, and intentions related to vaping. This design allows direct comparison between traditional top-down health promotion approaches and the youth-driven co-created intervention. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Susceptibility to future vaping will be measured using the Susceptibility to Future Vaping scale at baseline and at 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-ups. |
| Secondary outcome measures | Vaping refusal and resistive self-efficacy will be assessed with the Refusal Skills Technique and Resistive Self-Regulatory Efficacy scales at baseline and 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-ups. |
| Overall study start date | 01/10/2024 |
| Completion date | 01/01/2028 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Other |
|---|---|
| Age group | Other |
| Lower age limit | 15 Years |
| Upper age limit | 24 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Target number of participants | ~1800 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Canadian youth 2. Aged 15–24 years 3. Access to the internet or a mobile device/plan 4. Able to participate in English 5. Not current vapers (i.e., no use in the last 30 days; not regular users who quit) 6. Panel membership (Leger) |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Not currently residing in Canada 2. Outside the age range (under 15 or over 24 years old) 3. Unable to access the internet or a mobile device for participation 4. Unable to read, speak, or understand English sufficiently to provide informed consent and engage with study materials 5. Current vapers (vaped in past 30 days; been a regular vaper and quit) 6. No panel membership (Leger) |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/01/2026 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/09/2026 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Canada
Study participating centres
London
N6A 5C2
Canada
Kelowna
V1V 1V7
Canada
Sponsor information
University/education
1147 Research Road
Kelowna
V1V 1V7
Canada
| Website | https://www.ubc.ca/ |
|---|---|
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/03rmrcq20 |
Funders
Funder type
Government
Government organisation / National government
- Alternative name(s)
- Instituts de Recherche en Santé du Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), CIHR_IRSC, Canadian Institutes of Health Research | Ottawa ON, CIHR - Welcome to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, CIHR, IRSC
- Location
- Canada
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/01/2029 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not expected to be made available |
| Publication and dissemination plan | The findings of this study will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presented at national and international conferences. Summaries of results will also be shared with participants, youth co-researchers, and relevant public health organizations. In addition, findings may be communicated through policy briefs, public reports, and digital media channels to support evidence-based vaping prevention among youth. |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analyzed in this study are not expected to be made publicly available in order to protect participant privacy and confidentiality. The data include sensitive behavioural information from youth aged 15–24 years. Sharing individual-level data could potentially identify participants, even with de-identification. Data handling and storage comply with ethical approvals from the affiliated Research Ethics Board and relevant data protection standards. |
Editorial Notes
22/10/2025: Study's existence confirmed by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
