KDH Research & Communication (KDHRC) submits this Fast Track SBIR proposal to develop and evaluate
AVOID (Anti-Vaping Online Information Dissemination), a media-based online toolkit to support
community-based organizations’ (CBO) prevention programming against youth e-cigarette (e-cig) use.
Youth e-cig use, also known as “vaping,” is a rapidly growing public health threat, with use among high
school students tripling from 2013 to 2014 and incidence rates rising. E-cigs are lithium battery–powered
devices with a heating element that turns a liquid, generally containing nicotine, into an aerosol for the user to
inhale. E-cigs deliver nicotine, which is highly addictive and negatively affects the developing teen brain. E-cigs
also contain chemicals implicated in other negative health outcomes like “popcorn lung” and possible
genotoxicity and neurotoxicity. The bright colors and sweet flavors, combined with aggressive and unrestricted
marketing campaigns, make e-cigs particularly attractive and normalized to youth. There are strong calls from
government, researchers, and advocacy groups to develop e-cig–specific youth prevention efforts. AVOID will
be the first to meet these calls.
Youth-serving CBOs’ will deliver AVOID. At AVOID’s core will be five broadcast-quality, public service
announcement–like brief educational videos (BEVs) for youth ages 12-16. The BEVs will build youths’
knowledge, heighten perceived risk, promote protective attitudes, and decrease future intentions to use e-cigs.
Linked discussion guides (DG) will support CBO programming. Web-based promotion will provide AVOID
fluidity to nimbly address an emerging public health issue by updating the AVOID materials as new research
emerges and regulations change. The content and evaluation of AVOID will be theory-driven, blending health
communication and prevention theories to provide conceptual innovation and a solid foundation for
memorable messaging that supports behavior change.
In Phase I, we will create storyboards of one BEV and write its corresponding DG. To establish feasibility, we
will copy test the storyboards to explore the relationship between BEV exposure and youth outcomes. In Phase
II, we will create and copy test four additional BEVs, write their corresponding DGs, and program the entire
AVOID online toolkit. A randomized controlled trial will explore the efficacy of the AVOID toolkit when
implemented in youth-serving CBOs. Our market research suggests a significant need and eager market, and
support from five statewide tobacco control programs, myriad CBOs, the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of
America, representatives from Boys and Girls Club of America, Drug-Free Communities, and Partnership for
Drugfree Kids further substantiate AVOID’s programmatic importance and commercial potential.