E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco products among teenagers, with over two million middle and high school students reporting their use. Nicotine exposure can adversely affect memory, learning, and attention span, as well as increase the risk of respiratory illness due to inhaled toxins, as well as mental illness and substance abuse. A recent paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) examines the effectiveness of a quitting program targeting teenagers that relies on text messaging.
Study: A vaping cessation text message program for adolescent e-cigarette users: a randomized controlled trial. Image Credit: Mariia Masich / Shutterstock.com About the study The current double-blinded randomized control trial (RCT) included teenagers between 13 and 17 years of age who reported using vapes and wanting to quit within the past month.
Social media was used for recruitment. At 14 days, all participants received text messages for self-assessment in the assessment-only arm. If answered, each message was worth $5.
The intervention arm used a free, nationally promoted initiative called ‘This is Quitting. ' This initiative is an interactive automated program for young people built on social cognitive theory. Since its inception in January 2019, over 247,000 teenagers have participated in ‘This is Quitting.
' The program's various features are specific to each user, including age, date of entry, quit date, and vape brand. In the intervention ar.