# E-Cigarettes and Youth: Tests of Strategies to Prevent Recreational Use

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2020 · $217,163

## Abstract

Project Summary: E-Cigarettes and Youth: Tests of Strategies to Prevent
Recreational Use.
While electronic cigarettes have been used successfully as a cessation tool, recreational
use of e-cigarettes by non-smoking youth has increased dramatically in recent years.
This study tests how variations in modified risk statements, novelty flavors, and flavor
representation (pictorial images vs. plain-text flavor names) influence how middle school
youth perceive e-cigarettes and their susceptibility toward use. This research helps to
identify communication strategies that minimize recreational uptake of e-cigarettes by
middle school youth. Two randomly-assigned, between-subjects experiments will be
conducted on a verified middle school sample. The first with vary whether or not
participants view a modified risk statement alongside the FDA warning on e-cigarette
packages, as well as the type of modified risk statement (abstract health consequence
mentioned vs. specific health consequence mentioned). The second study will vary
whether or not participants view e-liquid vials with tobacco flavor or a novelty flavor
(menthol, fruit, candy, goth). Outcome measures include risk perceptions, message
comprehension, harm minimizing beliefs, susceptibility, and behavioral intentions toward
e-cigarette uptake. This research project builds the literature on the perceptions and
influence of e-cigarette labeling on youth.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10103750
- **Project number:** 5R21CA246602-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Sherri Jean Katz
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $217,163
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-16 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10103750

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10103750, E-Cigarettes and Youth: Tests of Strategies to Prevent Recreational Use (5R21CA246602-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10103750. Licensed CC0.

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