Regulatory Strategies for Promoting Cessation in a Simulated Experimental Tobacco Retail Lab Space

About This Grant

ABSTRACT E-cigarette use (i.e., vaping) among young adults is common, and many report a strong desire to quit but difficulty in doing so. The retail environment is a key potential point of intervention whereby innovative regulations can be enacted to both encourage cessation efforts and provide support to young people seeking help with cessation. Interventions employed in the nicotine retail space may be particularly effective as they reach young people at a time when they are most susceptible to continued use (i.e., just prior to purchasing e-cigarettes or vaping products). In the current study, we propose to test two innovative policy interventions to support cessation efforts among young people using our state-of-the-art simulated vape shop experimental lab space (“The Puff Point”). The proposed policies under study include (a) availability of cessation products (nicotine replacement therapy; NRT), and (b) prominent display of cessation resources at the point of sale in the retail environment. Policies that increase access to and awareness of cessation products (e.g., NRT) and cessation resources (e.g., text-to- quit lines, cessation programs or apps) in the retail environment have the potential to positively impact cessation efforts and success in cessation among young adults. This study will utilize a sophisticated 2x2 factorial design to test the effect of both policy interventions on e-cigarette purchasing behaviors and cessation intentions. Aim 1 will assess the impact of inclusion of NRT for sale in the retail space; Aim 2 will assess the impact of prominent display of cessation support services at the point of sale; Aim 3 will assess the joint effect of both policies (i.e., the interactive effects of inclusion of NRT for sale and display of cessation literature). Participants (N=200) will include young adults (21-30 years) who report having used e-cigarettes 3 or more days per week and have purchased e-cigarettes from a vape shop at least once per month, over the last 6 months. After a remote zoom session to assess eligibility, participants will visit our simulated vape shop and make purchases under one of the four conditions. A subsample will participate in a brief qualitative interview following the purchasing task to assess perceptions of the intervention. All participants will complete both a pre-task and post-task survey to assess cessation intentions. Analyses will investigate the effect of each policy on purchases made (including number of products and total amount of nicotine in non-NRT products purchased) and cessation intentions (any intentions to quit, planned timeframe for cessation [e.g., within the next month, next 6 months, next year], and specific plans for support with cessation attempt [e.g., NRT, app). Secondary analyses will investigate changes in cessation intentions pre- to post-purchasing task and whether changes differ by experimental condition. This project addresses regulations that are easily scalable and could encourage cessation from vaping among young people. The point of sale is a key intervention point, and data are urgently needed to guide regulatory efforts to reduce nicotine use and support cessation efforts among young adults seeking to do so, to reduce the adverse public health consequences of vaping in this population.