Vaping Focus GroupsA How To & Resource Guide

Harim C. EllisDirector of Youth-Led Programs

Welcome!

Harim C. Ellis, OCPSADirector of Youth-Led Programs

PAA’s mission is to lead healthy communities in preventing substance

misuse and the promotion of mental health wellness.

The Ohio Youth-Led Prevention Network

empowers youth and the adults who work with them

to become leaders in prevention.

Identify key components of &

appropriate contexts for conducting a

focus group.

1Examine materials for planning youth

vaping focus groups.

2Incorporate activities into planning efforts

to make focus groups youth-led.

3

Learning Objectives

• On your laptop or cellphone, go to preventionactionalliance.org/vaping

• Scroll down to our presentation (Vaping Focus Groups)

• Download our PowerPoint• Download session tools

Session Materials

How We Play

1. Each “student” team must have at least three participants2. Your host will show the group a picture of a person. As a team you

must decide if you think this person is a celebrity, role model, orleader.

3. There can only be one answer per team, so you must reach consensus on your team as to how you will answer.

4. You will have 90 seconds or less to discuss each picture & come to consensus. Write the person’s name as well as the characteristics your group believes makes them a celebrity, role model, or leader.

5. Your host will call “time!” & ask your team to share their answer.

Appropriate Contexts

Young people

Perception of Parental

Disapproval

Perception of Risk & Harm

Access & Availability

Product Promotion

E-Cig Use

Rates

Community Norms

Key Components

Decide the Purpose

Select the Topics

Create the Script

Organize & Recruit

Collect the Data

Analyze Data & Report

1

• “Same page” step.• Considers capacity

limits & group goals.

• Youth role: came to consensus on discussion questions.

• Adult role: developed questions; facilitated conversation; analyzed results.

Step 1: Decide the Focus Group Purpose

3

Research Question

“Why do young people (ages 12- 19)

vape nicotine and how do those reasons

differ by region?”

How We Play1. Each “student” team must have at least three participants2. Your host will show the group a picture of a person. As a team you

must decide if you think this person is a celebrity, role model, orleader.

3. There can only be one answer per team, so you must reach consensus on your team as to how you will answer.

4. You will have 90 seconds or less to discuss each picture & come to consensus. Write the person’s name as well as the characteristics your group believes makes them a celebrity, role model, or leader.

5. Your host will call “time!” & ask your team to share their answer.

Step 2: Choose Focus Group Topics

Young people

Perception of Parental

Disapproval

Perception of Risk & Harm

Access & Availability

Product Promotion

E-Cig Use

Rates

Community Norms

Structure:• Introduction• Key questions• Follow up questions • Closing

Youth Role: • Develop questions• Put them in order

Step 3: Write the Focus Group Script

Transition questions Transition questions Transition questions

Adult Role:• Build question creation skills• Provide script template

4-19

Impact of Alcohol Ads on Youth

Who: recruits & community allies

What: plan to engage them

When: time of day & day of week

Where: hosting location

Why: benefit to stakeholders

Step 4: Organize & Recruit

20 - 27

Step 5: Collect the Data

YC conducted 5 focus groups with 26 studentsSetting: • 1 Rural• 1 Urban• 3 Suburban

Youth Role: • Facilitated 4 focus groups

Participants:• 12 Black students• 10 White students• 2 LatinX students• 2 Asian students

• 15 female• 11 male

Successes• 18+ year-old participants• School setting/school hours• Supportive adult allies in home

groups• Adults excited to help• Youth/youth coordinator tag

team• YC time and energy investment• Great data

Challenges• Hard to get participants

• Consent forms• Show up outside of

school/school hours• School personnel

unsupportive• No response to emails• Flat out “no” to requests

• Planning uninitiated• YC busy

Lessons Learned

Step 6: Analyze & Report

Flavors

Easy to get

Easy to hide

“Something to do”/peers vape

Not as dangerous as cigarettes

Parents/peers vape approve of vaping

Flavors

• Teens will drive for miles to find a specific flavor.

• Crackdowns on flavors requires creativity to find it somewhere else.

• Curiosity about trying certain flavors was cited as a reason for why vaping is popular in each focus group.

Perception of Risk & Harm

Easy to get & Easy to Hide

• Teens reported:• Knowing which friends would be willing

to sell vapes to them,• Knowing which store never checks IDs,• That if you’re over the age of 18, people

will ask you to buy vapes for them,• Most teens don’t own their own vapes,

they just borrow from friends,• Borrow from friends = not having to

hide from parents at home.

Access & Availability

Something to Do/Safer than Cigarettes

• Vaping is “cooler” than smoking• Vaping is safe(r) lots of studies coming out

arguing the alternative• Youth knew it was addictive didn’t matter to

them• Youth claimed casual use no addiction

Community Norm/ Perception of Risk & Harm

Increased chance of…

Sharing they’ve vaped Believing “everyone” vapes

If students shared…

Their parents vape Their parents don’t disapprove of vaping

All/most of their friends vape

s Parental & Peer Disapproval

Parental & Peer Disapproval

Increased chance of…

Sharing they’ve never vaped Believing only some teens vape

If students shared…

Their parents don’t vape Their parents talk to them about not vaping

All/most of their friends do not vape

dConference presentations• Ohio Teen Institute• Ohio Prevention Conference

Fall Youth Council Retreat• Decided 2019-2020 priorities• Chose an intervening variable

based on focus group results

Placeholder for picture of YC members presenting at OTI.

Report Out & Decision-Making

Perception of Risk & Harm

Harim C. Ellis, OCPSA

hellis@preventionactionalliance.org

614.540.9985

Preventionactionalliance.org