# Addressing the Vaping Epidemic in Adolescents and Young Adults: Advancing our Understanding of Cessation Treatment and Engagement

> **NIH NIH K08** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2024 · $193,320

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
E-cigarettes, or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), are the most frequent tobacco product used by
adolescents (As, aged 14-17) and young adults (YAs, aged 18-24). While growing evidence suggests ENDS
as a possible strategy for smoking cessation among established adult smokers, the majority of A/YAs report
never smoking cigarettes. This population needs evidence-based treatment to quit ENDS and avoid life-long
nicotine addiction and the potential health harms associated with use. To date, there has been only one
randomized controlled trial on e-cigarette cessation which used the texting program, This is Quitting, to help
YA ENDS users quit. Our goal is to improve understanding of how to help A/YA ENDS users quit and
ultimately increase cessation rates.
This career development proposal is designed to increase our understanding of how to: a) promote A/YA
engagement with ENDS cessation programs; and b) help A/YA ENDS users successfully quit while providing
the training, experience, and data necessary to become an independent physician scientist focused on
designing, implementing, and assessing A/YA ENDS cessation interventions. The specific AIMS of this K08
proposal are to: 1) Identify predictors of A/YA ENDS quit attempts (Aim 1a) and cessation success (Aim 1b), in
a nationally representative sample, 2) Examine A/YA perspectives on strategies to increase engagement with,
This is Quitting, with a focus on how to operationalize financial incentives to promote engagement, and 3)
Evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of two enhancements to This is Quitting
(financial incentives and NRT), on engagement and ENDS cessation success in YA users.
This proposal is based at the UW-Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention and supported by an expert
team of mentors and collaborators who represent leaders in tobacco research, qualitative research, data
analysis, and clinical trials. This group, along with my education program, will help guide the achievement of
the following training objectives: (1) advance knowledge and skills in experimental design, implementation, and
evaluation (2) advance understanding of qualitative methodology (3) Increase knowledge of nicotine addiction
treatment via both medication and psychosocial interventions, and (4) gain a better understanding of research
ethics, leadership, and skills in manuscript and grant writing.
Combined, this research proposal and education plan can improve our understanding of how A/YA ENDS
users can quit and prepare me with the knowledge to use those findings to apply for a more definitive
treatment study to help A/YA ENDS users quit.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10807705
- **Project number:** 1K08DA058058-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Brian S Williams
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $193,320
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-06-01 → 2029-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10807705

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10807705, Addressing the Vaping Epidemic in Adolescents and Young Adults: Advancing our Understanding of Cessation Treatment and Engagement (1K08DA058058-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10807705. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*