How vaping prevention ads affect teens and young adults
Official title: Understanding the Impact of Vaping Prevention Ads on Adolescents and Young Adults
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11400544 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A nationwide project looks at which vaping-prevention video ads work best for teens and young adults and how they might reduce vaping when shown online.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $706,500 |
| NIH project number | 5U54DA060049-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11400544 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adolescents and young adults aged 13-20 who are susceptible to vaping or currently vape and who can access online experiments or ads.
✕Less likely to help
Non-teen adults or youths outside the 13-20 age range may not directly benefit from the advertising-focused findings.
What this research studies
This project analyzes hundreds of vaping prevention video ads to identify features that make them more appealing or convincing to youths aged 13-20. It uses online experiments with about 3,000 participants to see which ad aspects predict stronger, positive messages and any unintended effects. The team will pick 5 promising ads and 5 less promising ones and test them in a randomized trial to measure impact on vaping susceptibility. The work leverages a large, open-access ad archive to inform the study design and ensure real-world relevance. The goal is to guide the creation of more effective, safe vaping prevention messaging for adolescents and young adults.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the research could lead to more effective vaping-prevention campaigns that reduce youth susceptibility to vaping.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies suggest that message features can influence perceived effectiveness, but this project tests which features most strongly reduce vaping susceptibility in youths.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Noar, Seth Michael — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Noar, Seth Michael
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Flavor rules and youth smoking/vaping: what happens when flavors are restricted
A nationwide study will look at how banning or limiting flavored tobacco products affects how often adults and youth smoke or vape.
-
Vaping cessation for teens using Kick-Nic! and a CBT app
A Youth-focused program tests a CBT-based smartphone app and a virtual in-person CBT to help teens quit vaping.
-
Social media groups help teens quit vaping
A teen-focused program on Instagram direct message groups aims to help adolescents stop using e-cigarettes.
-
Parents Helping Parents: A Two-Arm Trial to Help Teens Quit Vaping
A two-arm trial tests a parent-supported approach to help youths aged 15–18 quit vaping.
-
Motivation-based teen vaping profile to guide quitting help
Aims to understand why adolescents vape and use that knowledge to tailor stopping tools that fit teens.
-
AI-powered messages to help teens quit vaping on social media
A teen-focused project using artificial intelligence to craft social media messages that discourage vaping among 13-year-olds and older youth.
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.