# Methodology and measurement for examining short-term and long-term effects of e-cigarette and polysubstance use

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · 2022 · $528,804

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
National survey data show that college students are at high risk for e-cigarette and polysubstance use. E-
cigarette use patterns and associated effects are not well understood because existing statistical methods can
only handle conventional EMA data and there is no well-validated consumption measure. This study will
address these major challenges by pursuing the following specific aims: 1) Develop and disseminate statistical
methodology and free software to analyze complex EMA data; 2) Conduct a longitudinal EMA study with the
measurement burst design on a sample of e-cigarette users from the college population; and 3) Analyze the
longitudinal EMA data using the innovative methodology for the following sub-aims: 3a) Validate two new e-
cigarette consumption measures; 3b) Examine short-term subjective effects of naturally occurring
simultaneous use of e-cigarettes and other substances including combustible cigarettes, alcohol, and
marijuana; and 3c) Examine long-term effects of e-cigarette use patterns on initiation, progression and
cessation of combustible cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use; dependence symptomatology; respiratory
health; and academic performance. This project will make significant impact on public health because the well-
validated methodology and measurement will enable prevention scientists to better assess real-time, naturally
occurring e-cigarette and polysubstance use patterns as well as their short-term and long-term effects. The
results of the longitudinal EMA study will also provide guidance for designing and delivering more targeted
prevention and intervention among college students who are involved in e-cigarette and polysubstance use.
Furthermore, the proposed work is highly innovative because (i) the proposed statistical methods that can
handle not only the conventional design but also the two modern designs of EMA studies are novel in both the
statistical and behavioral science literature, and are tailor-made to be useful in research on tobacco and
nicotine use; (ii) this project will provide new software to allow prevention scientists, for the first time, to
effectively study substance use patterns and their long-term effects; (iii) the proposed innovative real-time and
retrospective measures of e-cigarette consumption are based on both quantitative and qualitative data in our
pilot study and can be applied to future EMA studies as well as conventional longitudinal studies; and (iv) the
proposed longitudinal EMA study and future applications of the innovative methodology and measurement will
produce new scientific knowledge in the substance abuse field that would be impossible to obtain using
currently available statistical methods or measurement for e-cigarette consumption.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10418744
- **Project number:** 5R01DA049154-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Yuh-Pey Anne Buu
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $528,804
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-15 → 2024-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10418744

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10418744, Methodology and measurement for examining short-term and long-term effects of e-cigarette and polysubstance use (5R01DA049154-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10418744. Licensed CC0.

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