The Impact of Accurate Knowledge about Vaping and Public Health Initiatives on Cannabis Use Habits of Emerging Adults
Yakovenko, I., Stewart, S., Crocker, C., Tibbo, P., & Al-Hamdani, M.
This study aimed to assess, among emerging adults, accuracy of knowledge about cannabis vaping, the effects of this accuracy on vaping behaviour, and the type of information deemed as trustworthy to influence decision-making. A cross-sectional national survey was conducted with 280 participants between the ages of 18 and 30 years who reported vaping cannabis at least once per week for the past three months. Knowledge about vaping and Canada’s Lower Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines was assessed, along with measures of perceived trustworthiness of public health messages and perceived harm related to cannabis vaping.
The researchers found knowledge about vaping health hazards was average, and almost no one was able to correctly answer all vaping-related questions included in the survey. Poor knowledge about vaping was associated with greater cannabis use frequency and risk for cannabis use disorder (CUD). On average, participants followed four out of ten lower risk guidelines. Gender and other sociodemographic variables did not appear to have any effect on participants’ vaping knowledge, their perceived harm from vaping, or their cannabis vaping behaviour.
The researchers recommend health professionals and policy makers approach future health information delivery, and interventions for CUD among people who vape, with the understanding that few young vapers use cannabis safely, and that there is a significant amount of information that they do not know about the harms of vaping. Researchers suggest that providing emerging adults with more accurate information about vaping could inform psychoeducation initiatives to combat misconceptions promoted by the media and change their beliefs about vaping, potentially affecting how they use substances.
Publications:
Belliveau, J., & Yakovenko, I. (2022). Evaluating and improving the quality of survey data from panel and crowd-sourced samples: A practical guide for psychological research. Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology, 30(4), 400–408. https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000564
Bessenyei, K., & Yakovenko, I. (2023). Predictors of polysubstance vaping in emerging adults. Addictive behaviors, 142, Article 107675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2023.107675
Tang, K. T. Y., Belliveau, J. L., Al‐Hamdani, M., & Yakovenko, I. (2023). Beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions about vaping predict increased cannabis and nicotine problems in emerging adult vapers [Manuscript submitted].
Tang, K. T. Y., Loverock, A., Otis, E., Wild, T. C., & Yakovenko, I. (2023). The role of motives in understanding the association between personality and cannabis misuse [Manuscript in revision].