Pharmacy Daily | Avoid cloudy messaging

FLINDERS University researchers investigated the impact of different vaping prevention public health media campaigns among young South Australians aged 16-26 years, to help determine what will work best in vaping-risk messaging.

Participants of the study published in Health Promotional International were shown materials from three vaping prevention campaigns and resource sets: 'The Real Cost', 'Do you know what you're vaping?', and 'Unveil what you inhale', to assess whether they were easily understood, appropriate, relevant, credible and effective.

"Despite awareness of the potential harms, recreational vaping is increasing among younger people with our South Australian participants seeing vaping as 'cleaner' and less harmful than cigarettes," said Flinders University's Dr Joshua Trigg.

Study participants who vape and those who don't reacted in different ways to the campaigns.

Those who didn't already vape responded better to explicit messaging and shock tactics about the health risks associated with vaping, explained Trigg.

The people who already vaped responded better to information challenging the notion that vapes are healthier than smoking cigarettes, he said.

"We found that young people are likely to engage more with campaigns that consider the real-life experiences, social contexts, and negative consequences associated with vaping," commented Trigg.

"Bright visual design elements that represented health and wellbeing drew the attention of both groups of young people, with participants reiterating the benefits of using online and media resources to deliver preventative media campaigns."

He mentioned that in future it is important that vaping prevention messaging considers those who already vape and those who do not, and addresses the potential dangers and side effects of inhaling a combination of chemicals.

"Young people need to understand that nicotine vaping is not a risk-free alternative to smoking cigarettes." JG