A new MRFF project led by Flinders University and CRE Tobacco Endgame researchers has been awarded with $854,636.30 in funding in the latest MRFF Maternal Health and Healthy Lifestyles, to address vaping among young Australians: “Escape the vape”: Designing health communications for prevention of e-cigarette use in young people.” This work will develop and test messages to prevent vaping amongst adolescents and young adults for use in social media, including young people at higher risk of vaping-related harm. The research will use a co-design approach, with partner organisations and consumers to best support knowledge translation and uptake of messages.
Chief Investigators: Prof Billie Bonevski, Dr Joshua Trigg, Prof Simone Pettigrew, A/Prof Michelle Jongenelis, Prof Leanne Hides, Prof Janet Hoek, A/Prof Susan Woolfenden, Prof James Smith, Dr Joanne Dono, A/Prof Shahid Ullah, Prof Richard Edwards, Dr Ashleigh Guillaumier
Associate Investigators: Prof Jacqueline Bowden, Mr Mark Brooke, Prof Caroline Miller, Martin Wilson, Lauren Isaac, Samuel Wilson
The key outcome of this mixed-methods research program will be a suite of prevention resources based on effective messages our partners can use to reach a large segment of the youth population in Australia (16-26 years). Specifically, this research will deliver:
- New knowledge to help understand young people’s risk perceptions about NVPs and other tobacco and nicotine products;
- Novel messages and resources that may be delivered through highly scalable social media and other platforms that will reach high numbers of young Australians;
- New insights into young adults from a group at highest risk of harm: those who attend youth mental health and drug and alcohol treatment services;
- Information that leads and guides international vaping prevention campaigns; and
- Immediate and enduring health benefits from preventing use of and addiction to an emerging drug product of concern.
Flinders University news: https://news.flinders.edu.au/blog/2023/03/14/8-8m-in-new-medical-research-funding/
