Exposure to Negative News Stories About Vaping, and Harm Perceptions of Vaping, Among Youth in England, Canada, and the United States Before and After the Outbreak of E-cigarette or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury ('EVALI’).

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the impact of the E-cigarette or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) outbreak on youth perceptions of vaping harms in England, Canada, and the United States. The study examines changes in exposure to negative news stories about vaping and perceptions of vaping harms among youth before and after the EVALI outbreak. The key points of the study are summarized below.

Key Points:

* The study uses data from the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC) Youth Tobacco and Vaping Survey conducted in England, Canada, and the United States.
* The study examines changes in exposure to negative news stories about vaping and perceptions of vaping harms among youth before and after the EVALI outbreak.
* The study finds that exposure to negative news stories about vaping increased during and after the EVALI outbreak in all three countries, with the greatest increase observed in the United States.
* The study also finds that perceptions of vaping harms increased during and after the EVALI outbreak in all three countries, with the greatest increase observed in Canada.
* The study finds that exposure to negative news stories about vaping was associated with greater perceptions of vaping harms in all three countries.
* The study controls for demographic covariates, smoking and vaping status, and survey wave.
* The study includes sensitivity analyses to test the robustness of the findings.

Main Message:
The study suggests that the EVALI outbreak exacerbated youth's perceptions of vaping harms internationally, with exposure to negative news stories about vaping being associated with greater perceptions of vaping harms. The findings highlight the importance of monitoring vaping perceptions among youth and the need for accurate information about vaping to be communicated by the media and public education campaigns. The study also highlights the need to distinguish between the risks of vaping nicotine e-liquids and vaping contaminated illicit products. Overall, the study emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to correct misperceptions about vaping, particularly among past 30-day smokers who have the most to gain from understanding the lower relative risk of vaping.

East K, Reid JL, Burkhalter R, et al. Exposure to Negative News Stories About Vaping, and Harm Perceptions of Vaping, Among Youth in England, Canada, and the United States Before and After the Outbreak of E-cigarette or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury ('EVALI’). Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. 2022;24(9):1386-1395. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntac088