Study: Media Coverage and Anti-Vaping Ads Drove Youth Vaping Decline in 2019

A study published in BMC Public Health found that anti-vaping advertising and news coverage of the EVALI outbreak contributed to a reduction in youth vaping in the United States in 2019.

"A convergence of media forces...appears to have shaken adolescents out of complacency."
— Senior author Shu-Hong Zhu, PhD

Key Findings

• Among current vapers, the proportion who attempted to quit nearly doubled from 28.8% in 2017–18 to 53.2% in 2019–20.
• Intentions to quit rose from 56.9% to 79.1%.
• Susceptibility to future vaping among never-vapers declined from 30.3% to 25.7%.
• Both anti-vaping advertising exposure and EVALI awareness independently predicted higher quit attempts and intentions.
• EVALI awareness was associated with lower susceptibility to future vaping, an effect not observed with anti-vaping advertising alone.

Background

Youth vaping prevalence in the US rose from 8.1% in 2017 to a peak of 20% in 2019, then declined to 5.9% by 2024. The EVALI outbreak involved over 2,800 hospitalizations and 68 deaths, with extensive news coverage—nearly 20,000 online articles.

The study analyzed data from two cycles of the California Student Tobacco Survey (2017–18 and 2019–20), covering over 117,000 and 143,000 students respectively.

What the Researchers Said

First author Jijiang Wang, PhD, noted:

"Quit attempt rates on a population level almost never change this dramatically...it tells us something important about what is possible when the media environment shifts."

The authors also noted that most teens incorrectly believed nicotine was responsible for EVALI, and recommended future research examine this perception.

Limitations

• The study is observational and cannot establish causation.
• Findings may not generalize to other countries, as England has not seen a similar reversal.

Funding

The study was funded by the California Department of Public Health. Authors declare no competing interests.