ÚNETE: Friend support plus celebrity messages to reduce drug and vaping use in young Latinx adults
ÚNETE: Combining Friendship Support Networks and Targeted Messaging from Celebrity Influencers to Reduce Latinx Substance Use Disparities
This project combines friend-based support and short messages from celebrities to help low-income Latinx young adults (19–30) cut back on marijuana, vaping, and other drug use.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Miami School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Coral Gables, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11143039 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
As a participant, you'll be invited to join a program in South Florida that brings together friend groups of low-income Latinx young adults and uses short, culturally tailored messages created with celebrities to spark conversations about drug and vaping risks. The team will co-design and pre-test messages with 30 celebrity influencers and members of the community. Friendship-support activities will encourage peers to support one another in reducing substance use. Participants will be randomly assigned to the ÚNETE program or to standard information and followed over time to track changes in marijuana, hallucinogen, nicotine, and vaping use.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Low-income Latinx young adults aged 19–30 living in the South Florida area, especially immigrants or first‑generation US citizens who use or are at risk for marijuana, hallucinogens, nicotine, or vaping.
Not a fit: People who are not Latinx, outside the 19–30 age range, living outside the South Florida area, or those with severe substance use disorders requiring medical or specialty treatment may not benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help young Latinx adults reduce drug and vaping use and strengthen community support to narrow health disparities.
How similar studies have performed: Peer-support programs and influencer messaging have shown behavior change in other public health areas, but combining celebrity messaging with friendship networks to reduce Latinx drug use is a relatively new approach with limited prior testing.
Where this research is happening
Coral Gables, United States
- University of Miami School of Medicine — Coral Gables, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kanamori Nishimura, Mariano Juan — University of Miami School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Kanamori Nishimura, Mariano Juan
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.