Abstract
Significance: In recent years, e-cigarette use (also referred to as vaping) has significantly increased especially among middle and high school students. As a result, researchers have developed and implemented many school-based programs for vaping prevention and cessation. However, little is known about vaping prevention and cessation resources created by teachers. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to explore the characteristics and the content of instructional resources created by teachers/educators.
Methods: A total of 204 vaping prevention and cessation resources created by teachers were identified from the website, TeacherPayTeachers (TPT). TPT is an online platform where can buy and/or sell instructional materials for their classrooms. The resource characteristics of the entire sample (n=204) were identified. Manual content analysis was also conducted on a random sample of 20 resources to further determine if resources addressed content areas known to be effective in the existing literature. The characteristics and content of these resources were described.
Results: Most resources in the total sample (n=204) were aimed at students in grades 7, 8, 9, and 10 (62%; 71%; 75% & 68% respectively). 62% of the resources were vaping-specific whereas 38% also discussed other substances. Out of the random sample (n=20), 90% of vaping prevention and cessation resources included some level of student engagement. The content analysis revealed that health effects were the most commonly addressed content area (95%), and marketing was the second most addressed content area (45%). Only 15% of resources included refusal skills and ways to manage peer pressure, whereas only 10% included cessation tools.
Conclusion: The majority of teacher-developed resources incorporated content areas known to be effective in the existing literature. However, variations existed in the level of detail included. This may suggest a need for further evaluation of vaping prevention and cessation resources created by teachers. This can also highlight potential collaborative opportunities between teachers and public health professionals to ensure that future educational resources include appropriate evidence and content.
