Preventing vaping escalation in teens with targeted messages
Official title: Preventing vaping escalation among youth with evidence-based messages
Funded at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences · NIH-11366078 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new NIH grant aims to test clear, teen-friendly messages designed to stop infrequent teen vapers from vaping more often.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | June 15, 2026 |
| Project end | March 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $705,751 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DA063720-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11366078 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adolescents around age 13 who have tried e-cigarettes at least once and are in follow-up, with parental/guardian involvement as appropriate.
✕Less likely to help
Teens who never use or who already vape heavily may not benefit from these targeted messages.
What this research studies
This project focuses on 13-year-old youth who have tried e-cigarettes at least a little and are at risk of increasing use. The team plans to develop and test targeted messages that address why staying infrequent matters and how to resist escalation. It will involve communicating with youths and measuring how their beliefs and attitudes about vaping change over time. The study seeks to identify which messages best help infrequent users avoid progressing to more frequent vaping.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the messages could help reduce nicotine exposure and related harms among teens who vape infrequently.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests tailored health messages can influence teen behavior, but this approach to prevescalation is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jeong, Michelle — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Jeong, Michelle
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.
-
How vaping prevention ads affect teens and young adults
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.
-
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.
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.