Background and Importance: Youth vaping (or e-cigarette use) as increased dramatically among youth populations in Canada and the United States. While the long-term negative effects of vaping are relatively unknown, youth who vape are at risk of becoming addicted to nicotine and continuing to vape. Given the novelty of these devices and their rising popularity among youth, there is an urgent need to identify effective prevention approaches.
Research Aims: The goal of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the 'CATCH My Breath' (CMB) vaping prevention curriculum at preventing vaping initiation among a cohort of high school students in Ontario, Canada. Specifically, this study will identify whether students exposed to CMB have a lower likelihood of 1) initiating vaping, 2) being susceptible to future vaping, and 3) vaping in the past 30-days at 12-month follow-up, compared to a matched comparison group of students. This study will also investigate whether the effects of the intervention differ according to gender. Methods: Intervention. CMB is a school-based vaping prevention curriculum based on best practices from earlier prevention studies and incorporates theory to foster social competence and social influence resistance skills. It is delivered through two 60-minute lessons delivered by a trained presenter. A pilot study identified components of the program that worked well and what needed to be adapted for a Canadian high school context. Sample. A purposive sample of 28 high schools in Ontario will be recruited and Public Health staff will deliver the curriculum to grade 9 students during Physical Education \& Health classes. A matched sample of 28 high schools from a larger pool of schools participating in a separate study of youth health (i.e., the COMPASS study) will be selected as a comparison group. A matched sample of students will be identified from comparison group schools. Data collection \& analysis. Students in the intervention group (n=2800) will complete an online survey before exposure to the curriculum and 3-months, and 12-months later to identify changes in vaping knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour. Descriptive analysis of baseline data will produce a profile of demographics and baseline characteristics and identify any imbalances between the intervention and comparison groups that should be accounted for in later analyses. Multilevel regression models will test for intervention effects while controlling for baseline differences through the use of covariates. Expected Outcomes: Evidence from this project will identify whether students exposed to CMB are less likely to start vaping, which will support school-based efforts to prevent vaping initiation and experimentation among youth.
