Kids' mental health and exposure to tobacco, cannabis, and vaping smoke
Official title: Tracing the Impact of Evolving Environmental Exposure to Tobacco, Cannabis, and Nicotine Smoke and Vapor Emissions on Children's Mental Health Symptom Trajectories
Funded at Oklahoma State University Stillwater · NIH-11129918 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how exposure to cigarette smoke, vaping vapor, and cannabis smoke at different ages relates to children's mood and behavior over time.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oklahoma State University Stillwater NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stillwater, United States) |
| Project start | July 3, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $38,077 |
| NIH project number | 5R36OD037669-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11129918 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This work most directly involves children and adolescents in the ECHO cohort whose caregivers reported cigarette, vaping, or cannabis use during pregnancy or childhood and their families.
✕Less likely to help
Children with no known exposure to tobacco, vaping, or cannabis and adults without a history of childhood exposure are unlikely to gain direct benefit from these analyses.
What this research studies
This project uses data from the national ECHO program to group children by levels and timing of exposure to cigarette smoke, vaping vapor, and cannabis smoke from before birth through adolescence. Researchers will identify caregiver and demographic factors linked to those exposure groups and map how exposure patterns change across developmental periods. They will then follow children's mood, anxiety, and behavior (internalizing and externalizing symptoms) over time to see how different exposure trajectories relate to mental health. The approach relies on existing longitudinal records rather than new clinical visits.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to when and which smoke exposures are most linked to worse child mental health, helping target prevention and support for families.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked prenatal cigarette smoke to later mood and behavior problems, but using large national longitudinal data to compare tobacco, vaping, and cannabis exposures across development is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Oklahoma State University Stillwater
Stillwater, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Appleseth, Hannah — Oklahoma State University Stillwater
- Study coordinator: Appleseth, Hannah
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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.