Vaping Prevalence after “AVOID” on a College Campus

The college-aged demographic is at risk for adverse effects from using electronic vaping devices (Kenne et al., 2017). Youth e-cigarette rates were 20.9% in 2018 (Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, 2021), and 11.8% in 2021 (ACHA). The objective was to analyze the use of electronic vaping devices by college students, following the Anti-Vaping Ongoing Interventions Dissemination (AVOID) program. Using the Transtheoretical Model, decisions to change vaping behavior were assessed to determine the effects of the AVOID program (Prochaska & Velicer, 1997). 900 undergraduate students at a Midwestern university were invited to participate through SurveyMonkey®. Data were collected and analyzed to further understand relationships and opinions about the use of electronic vaping devices. This survey was sent out after initiating the AVOID intervention which involved interacting in the campus community regarding the dangers of vaping. The AVOID intervention included eight-campus strategies including social media, posters, and ads on campus TVs. Of the 464 students who responded (51.6%), 15.84% said they had vaped in the last 30 days. While 65.27% stated that the educational programs had no effect regarding their vaping habits, 21.76% indicated they had learned something from the AVOID program, and 54.11% decided to quit within the next month. 86.68% would encourage a family member or friend to quit vaping. Progress was made with the AVOID program. A majority of respondents noticed an AVOID educational tool and have plans to change behavior. The team plans to further disseminate education regarding harms of vaping