Youth e-cigarette never-users and ever-users perceptions of novel educational comic book

Abstract

Objectives: More than 2.5 million middle and high school students in the United States reported current use of e-cigarettes in 2022. With continued curiosity and initiation of e-cigarette use among youth, it is critical to explore new and innovative ways to communicate about the dangers of e-cigarettes. The purpose of this study was to determine youth never-user and ever-user interpretations of a novel, educational comic book, ‘The Villainous Vape’. Method: A 43-question survey was distributed to a convenience sample of middle and high school students across Kentucky. Results: Of the 76 respondents, 85.5% ( n = 65) reported having never using e-cigarettes and 14.5% ( n = 11) reported having tried e-cigarettes at least once in their lifetime. Never-users were more likely to say that the comic book would be an effective method of e-cigarette education for their peers, compared with ever-users. In addition, never-users were more likely to report that the comic book deterred them from using e-cigarettes. Conclusion: Further research is needed to determine how perceptions of story-based education through novel comics affect young people’s health decisions regarding e-cigarette use.