"You have to vape to make it through": E-cigarette Outcome Expectancies among Youth and Parents

Abstract

Objectives: Outcome expectancies are central to explaining health behavior and have been shown to predict tobacco use. Research on outcome expectancies for e-cigarette use among youth is scarce but increasingly important given the growing rates of use, particularly of high-nicotine pod devices and the recent outbreak of e-cigarette related lung disease. Methods: In 2019, we conducted 3 focus groups with middle school youth (N=25), 5 with high school youth (N=38), and 4 with parents (N=27). Youth and parents were not related and groups included both users and non-users. Participants discussed reasons for e-cigarette use and bad and good things that might happen to a person who vapes. Results: Participants described positive and negative psychoactive/sensory, social, and health-related outcome expectancies. Both youth and parents mentioned stress relief and appearing older as positive outcome expectancies, and e-cigarette flavors, acting rebellious, and structural opportunities as other reasons for initiating e-cigarette use. Social consequences and health outcomes were negative outcome expectancies deterring use. Conclusions: Regulations and public communication campaigns can counteract the positive outcome expectancies (flavor regulation, providing stress reduction tips) and capitalize on negative ones (communicating negative health outcomes) to decrease youth e-cigarette use.