# Regulatory Impact on Vape Shops and Young Adults' Use of ENDS - Diversity Supplement

> **NIH NIH R01** · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $71,992

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) have emerged in the US market, with use and awareness rapidly
increasing in recent years, particularly in young adults. While ENDS may facilitate harm reduction in smokers,
ENDS represent significant health risks (e.g., addiction in young adults). From a socioecologic perspective, the
literature regarding tobacco retail indicates that place characteristics such as neighborhood demography and
policy context influence retailer location and marketing, and these factors impact individual tobacco use.
However, this literature is in its infancy in regard to ENDS and particularly to vape shops, which are stores
exclusively devoted to ENDS sales. Vape shops have proliferated in the US and are unique in their product
offerings, marketing, and overall retail environment. A particularly important and timely macro-level factor that
may impact ENDS use and distribution channels is FDA Deeming Regulation, which will impact vape shops,
their marketing, and young adult ENDS use. Leveraging a Socioecological Framework, the parent R01 draw’s
data from 6 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) representing the gradient of tobacco control in order to
address 3 inter-related aims: 1) examine density and survival of vape shops over time and across contexts in
relation to FDA regulation, local policies, and other sociocontextual factors (e.g., neighborhood context,
density/proximity of convenience stores); 2) examine vape shop marketing and POS practices (e.g., age
verification, free sampling, health warnings) over time and across contexts in relation to FDA regulation, local
policies, and other sociocontextual factors (e.g., neighborhood context, density/proximity of convenience
stores); and 3) examine young adult ENDS use over time and across contexts in relation to spatial access to
vape shops and convenience stores, ENDS advertising exposure, local policies, and sociocontextual factors. If
funded, this Diversity Supplement will provide Dr. Daisy Le with unique training, mentorship, and research
experiences to further establish her research career in cancer-related health disparities. Specifically, Dr. Le will
capitalize on the vast data collected on the cohort of 3006 young adults across the MSAs and establish the
foundation for ENDS cessation research by conducting formative research and message testing. We will
disseminate findings with an explicit focus on informing public health policy and practice regarding ENDS, as
well as future research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10154522
- **Project number:** 3R01CA215155-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Carla J Berg
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $71,992
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-08-01 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10154522

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10154522, Regulatory Impact on Vape Shops and Young Adults' Use of ENDS - Diversity Supplement (3R01CA215155-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10154522. Licensed CC0.

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