Teens talk vaping: A co-produced participatory study exploring teens’ reflections on vaping experiences and exposures in their everyday environments

Coen, Stephanie E.; Nelson Ferguson, Kendra; Burke, Shauna M.; Dela Cruz, Timothy Jireh E.; Girum, Laila; Guisandes Bueno, Gabriela I.; Haines-Saah, Rebecca; Iwas, Tanya; Kandlakuti, Bhargav; Manji, Aliana; Megarajah, Purushoth; Soto Canales, Ricardo; Spencer, Terry; Tobin, Danielle; Gilliland, Jason A.

Abstract

Increasing prevalence of vaping (e-cigarette use) among youth in Canada and elsewhere has become a serious public health concern. The Teens Talk Vaping project sought to co-produce research about teen vaping with teens to generate in-depth qualitative evidence about the everyday socio-environmental dimensions of teen vaping experiences and exposures across perspectives of both teens who vape and those who do not. Our participatory approach included a capacity-building programme to train teen team members to contribute to the project as ‘co-researchers’, equipping them with the research skills necessary to contribute to all phases of the project, from data collection through to knowledge translation. Paired with adult researchers, teen co-researchers facilitated 7 online focus groups with teens (n=17) from across Canada, including teens who vaped (n=3) and those who did not (n=14). Our participatory thematic analysis generated five themes: (1) Secrecy and surveillance at school; (2) Online omnipresence; (3) Social pressures and positionings; (4) (Un)restricted mobilities and access; and (5) Re-thinking school-based vaping education. Our findings reveal the extent to which exposure to vaping is deeply embedded and normalized in the everyday micro-geographies of teens in Canada as seemingly ‘everywhere.’ Teen vaping prevention efforts must be equity-centred, youth-driven, and take account of the nuanced ways in which vaping is layered into the day-to-day online and offline contexts of young people’s lives.

Citation

Coen, S. E., Nelson Ferguson, K., Burke, S. M., Dela Cruz, T. J. E., Girum, L., Guisandes Bueno, G. I., Haines-Saah, R., Iwas, T., Kandlakuti, B., Manji, A., Megarajah, P., Soto Canales, R., Spencer, T., Tobin, D., & Gilliland, J. A. (2023). Teens talk vaping: A co-produced participatory study exploring teens’ reflections on vaping experiences and exposures in their everyday environments. SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, 4, Article 100367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100367

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 2, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Nov 4, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-12
• Deposit Date: Nov 11, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 15, 2023
• Journal: SSM - Qualitative Research in Health
• Electronic ISSN: 2667-3215
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 4
• Article Number: 100367
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100367
• Keywords: Vaping; Youth; Participatory Research; Canada; Focus Groups
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/27089482
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321523001518?via%3Dihub
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: Teens talk vaping: A co-produced participatory study exploring teens’ reflections on vaping experiences and exposures in their everyday environments; Journal Title: SSM - Qualitative Research in Health; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100367; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.