How school, local, and state vaping rules affect vaping and smoking
Assessing the impact of vaping control policies at the school, local and state levels
This project looks at whether rules like raising the purchase age, banning flavors, limiting stores and indoor use, and taxing vaping products change vaping and smoking in teens, young adults, and adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11146611 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you or your child vape, the team will use public health surveys and local, school, and state records to see how different vaping rules change who vapes and who smokes. They will compare places with policies such as Tobacco 21 laws, flavor bans, store restrictions, indoor-use bans, and taxes to places without those rules and follow changes over time. The researchers will focus on youth, young adults, and adult smokers and may use datasets like BRFSS and school data to track behavior and related outcomes. The work aims to identify which policies reduce harmful vaping among young people without causing worse outcomes, like increased cigarette use.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are teens, young adults, and adults who live in jurisdictions with different vaping rules and who can be represented in public health surveys or school records.
Not a fit: People who live outside the studied jurisdictions, who do not appear in the surveys or records used, or whose vaping behavior is unrelated to local policy changes may not be represented or directly benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help communities choose policies that reduce youth vaping and improve public health.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research shows mixed results—some measures like raising the purchase age have reduced youth use, while effects of flavor bans, taxes, and other limits have been variable or context-dependent.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Levy, Douglas — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Levy, Douglas
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.