Parent perspectives on the design, implementation, and use of the parent E-cigarette and vaping educational resource (P-EVER)

Background

Adolescent use of e-cigarettes has been recognized as a significant public health concern as rates of adolescent vaping increase. As evidence of respiratory damage and other health concerns continue to emerge, educational resources for parents are critical in combating the vaping epidemic. A vaping educational tool can serve as a resource that parents of adolescents can reference to learn about e-cigarette use and how to address this topic with their families.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine parents' perspectives on the design and use of an educational infographic (Parent E-Cigarette and Vaping Educational Resource; P-EVER) to inform parents of adolescents and their families about e-cigarette use, risks, and quitting resources.

Methods

Parents who had an adolescent aged 12 to 18 years were recruited through community pharmacies in Wisconsin through recruitment fliers, emails, and word of mouth between February and June 2023. Participants reviewed the vaping educational handout in a semi-structured interview that was recorded and transcribed verbatim. Two members of the research team independently coded each transcript using NVivo software to conduct inductive thematic analysis. Bi-weekly meetings were held to refine codes, develop the master codebook, and identify prevalent themes (intercoder reliability - 0.83).

Results

Thirty-five parents were interviewed between February and June 2023. Four themes were identified: vaping awareness, P-EVER content and implementation, pharmacist's role, and barriers to pharmacist intervention on vaping. Participants believed the vaping educational handout was an effective resource for disseminating information to parents of adolescents. Responses highlighted the importance of providing educational resources to initiate conversations surrounding health risks to adolescents.

Conclusion

Pharmacists played a crucial role in successfully disseminating the P-EVER education tool to parents of adolescents. Future work is required to determine effective interventions for pharmacists and adolescents to discuss the topic of vaping awareness and safety.