Federal Grant Award Summary

Rutgers The State University of New Jersey (RBHS-School of Nursing) received a $705,751 Project Grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) awarded on June 15, 2026, with completion scheduled for March 31, 2031. The project, "Preventing Vaping Escalation Among Youth with Evidence-Based Messages," will develop and deliver targeted communication interventions designed to prevent youth who infrequently use e-cigarettes from escalating to frequent use. The grant addresses a significant public health gap, as nearly half of current youth e-cigarette users are infrequent users—a population segment that has not been the focus of dedicated prevention efforts and may not respond to generic e-cigarette prevention or cessation messaging.

The research initiative will employ a multi-tiered approach to generate evidence-based communication strategies, beginning with Aim 1, which involves conducting a longitudinal survey of youth to examine e-cigarette use patterns over time and identify salient beliefs and risk factors contributing to escalation in use frequency. This foundational research will inform the subsequent development and testing of targeted prevention messages specifically tailored to the infrequent user population, distinguishing this intervention from existing prevention approaches that do not account for the distinct characteristics and vulnerabilities of this user group.