Does the 'CATCH My Breath' Vaping Prevention Program Prevent High School Students in Ontario, Canada From Starting to Vape?

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

CATCH My Breath: CATCH My Breath (CMB) is a school-based vaping prevention curriculum based on best practices from earlier prevention studies that works by fostering social competence and social influence resistance skills. The curriculum design and content targets two key constructs of Social Cognitive Theory: self-efficacy and behavioural capacity (i.e., knowledge and skills). The curriculum provides students with knowledge of why and how to resist vaping. It is delivered through two 60-minute lessons by a trained Public Health Unit presenter. The curriculum lessons provide information about: 1) the physical, mental, and addiction risks associated with vaping, 2) social norms of vaping (e.g., most youth don't vape), 3) media literacy (e.g., how to recognize and decipher marketing of vapes), 4) strategies to resist and avoid vaping, 5)school and provincial policies about vaping. To solidify the content, in-class activities allow students to discuss what they are learning and practice refusal skills.

Study summary

Vapes (also called e-cigarettes) have increased in popularity among youth in Canada and the United States. Youth who try vaping are at risk of becoming addicted and continuing to vape. To help combat the rise in vaping, there is an urgent need to identify effective ways to prevent youth from experimenting with vaping. Because of the novelty of vapes, there are few school-based programs targeting vaping. This study will investigate whether a vaping prevention curriculum called 'CATCH My Breath' (CMB) prevents high school students from starting to vape.

The investigators will recruit 28 schools in Ontario, Canada into the intervention group, and students at these schools will be presented with the CMB curriculum by Public Health Unit staff. CMB is an evidence-based program that includes two 60-minute lessons that provide students with information about social norms related to vaping, health risks of vaping, media literacy, and in-class activities to practice refusal skills. Students will complete an online survey before being exposed to the curriculum, 3-months later, and 12-months later. The vaping behaviours of these students will be compared to students in a separate study of youth health (i.e., the COMPASS study) who are not given the curriculum.

Evidence from this study will identify whether students exposed to CMB are less likely to start and continue vaping. If effective, CMB can be easily delivered in high schools across Canada in order to reduce the number of students who vape.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Number of participants that initiate vaping at 12-month follow-up — baseline and 12-month follow-up
  One validated item will assess ever vaping: "Have you ever tried a vape, also known as an e-cigarette?", with response options 'Yes' and 'No'. This item is consistent with other youth health surveillance studies in Canada and the US and is already present in the COMPASS survey. The question will include a definition of vapes, including examples and images of common brands, to improve the validity of student responses. Students who respond 'No' at baseline will be categorized as 'Never vapers'. Students who never vaped at baseline who respond 'Yes' at follow-up will be categorized as 'Initiated vaping' (outcome of interest), while those who respond 'No' at follow-up will be categorized as 'Did not initiate vaping' (reference group).

Trial sites (8)

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