Table 5

Guiding principles for vaping prevention messages for adolescents

Elements to useElements to avoid or use with caution
ThemesThemes

  • Nicotine addiction and its consequences

  • Flavour content (any type)

  • Industry targeting

  • Chemicals and specific chemical names

  • Environmental impact

  • Specific health effects on major organs (lungs and brain)

  • Parallels to cigarette smoking, such as 1 pod has 20 cigarettes worth of nicotine

  • Health-related symptoms, such as coughing and headaches

  • Dispelling the myth that vape aerosol is ‘harmless water vapour’

  • Unknown ingredients and health effects

  • Vaping as a precursor to other tobacco use

Imagery

  • Graphic imagery, such as health effects on organs

  • Warning symbols, such as a hazard symbol or skull and crossbones

  • Chemical symbol for nicotine

  • Combustible cigarettes

Imagery

  • Teen or adult faces

  • Food

Other features

  • Second-person language (‘you’)

  • Citing specific studies

Other features

  • First-person (‘I’ or ‘we’) or third person language (‘teen’)

  • Hashtags (#)

  • Internet memes

  • Statistics