Smita Shah

Background: Adolescent vaping is rising globally and in Australia, and evidence on paediatricians' cessation support is scarce. This study examined predictors of paediatricians' engagement in vaping cessation among adolescents, focusing on disparities in knowledge, attitudes, practices and barriers across various sociodemographic and professional factors. Methods: A nationwide cross‐sectional, web‐based survey was conducted among paediatricians and paediatric registrars practising across Australia between May and October 2023. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire on demographics, knowledge, attitudes and barriers (28‐item Likert scale) and practices adapted from the WHO 5A framework. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to investigate the association. Results: A total of 90 paediatricians participated, of whom 67.5% were female and 78.8% practised in metropolitan areas. A vast majority (90%) recognised its addictive nature and nearly all (97.7%) of them viewed vaping among adolescents as a gateway to tobacco and other substance use. Only one in three were aware of referral options for cessation, over two‐thirds routinely advised against vaping, one in five provided cessation support and one‐third arranged follow‐up care. Some variation was observed by age and gender; however, evidence of systematic differences by geographic location or primary medical training was limited after adjustment. Senior paediatricians were more likely to recognise EVALI symptoms and less likely to report time constraints. Key barriers included limited referral knowledge, insufficient time and discomfort, which significantly impeded engagement. Conclusion: Although paediatricians recognised vaping as a major concern, their support rarely extended to routine cessation care, demonstrating the need for clearer referral pathways and targeted training.

Background: Effective preventative interventions are urgently needed to address the increasing rates of e-cigarette use among young people and to complement the Australian government’s latest tobacco control measures. School-based interventions using peer leaders can effectively shape social norms and expectations associated with tobacco use. This paper describes the protocol for the Breathe Easy All Together (BEAT) study, a process and impact evaluation of the first school-based peer-leadership intervention to prevent adolescent e-cigarette use in Australia. Methods: A pre-post test design will be used to conduct process and impact evaluation of the BEAT program using the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance) framework. The intervention utilises a multi-component peer-education model driven by students, to promote respiratory health and resist e-cigarette use within a supportive school environment. Volunteer Year 10 students (14- to 16-years-old) will be trained by the research team as peer leaders, to deliver two 60-min lessons to Year 7 students (11- to 13-years-old) during routine health education classes. Year 10 peer leaders and Year 7 students will complete online self-report surveys pre- and post-program to assess changes in the primary outcome of past-30-day e-cigarette use. Secondary outcomes include tobacco use behaviours, e-cigarette knowledge, perceptions, refusal skills, intentions to use e-cigarettes, and acceptability of intervention components. School staff involved in the delivery of the program will participate in semi-structured interviews to examine acceptability and factors affecting program implementation. Descriptive statistics and changes between data collection points will be assessed using Wilcoxon signed rank tests to investigate intervention effect on primary and secondary outcomes. Qualitative data will be analysed in alignment with RE-AIM constructs using Framework Analysis. Discussion: Building upon an evidence-based peer-education model, BEAT presents a novel peer-led solution to address a gap in current research practice to prevent adolescent e-cigarette use in Australia. It has the potential to protect the future health and wellbeing of students from the harms of e-cigarette use and nicotine addiction. The RE-AIM framework is a comprehensive approach to conducting robust evaluation of multi-faceted interventions in the school environment. If effective, funding support will be sought for wider dissemination and further evaluation.

Background: Healthcare providers (HCPs) can play a pivotal role in providing vaping cessation support to adolescents. They can screen adolescents for vaping, offer interventions to quit, and educate adolescents about the dangers of vaping, including nicotine addiction. This review aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of HCPs regarding vaping cessation promotion to adolescents. Methods: We conducted a scoping review following the Arksey and O’Malley framework and searched five databases, including MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Scopus, to identify relevant articles. We created a comprehensive search strategy using keywords relevant to healthcare providers, adolescents, practices, and vaping. Results: A total of 1387 articles were identified from the initial search, and 14 were included. There was considerable variation regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of HCPs in supporting adolescents. Although 50–92% of HCPs reported some knowledge about vaping, significant gaps persisted, especially regarding health effects and cessation strategies. Many HCPs lacked confidence in discussing vaping with adolescent patients. While most of the HCPs, 86%, screened for cigarette smoking, only 14% routinely screened adolescents for vaping. They expressed concerns about vaping as a gateway to tobacco use and believed that it was less harmful than cigarettes. HCPs encountered barriers with a lack of time, knowledge, and screening tools in supporting adolescents to quit vaping, particularly related to counselling, treatment recommendations, and referral procedures. Conclusions: There is an urgent need for enhanced understanding, evidence-based guidelines, and clinical tools for HCPs to address the current vaping epidemic among adolescents.

Vaping, particularly the use of nicotine vaping products (NVPs), has emerged as a public health concern. The regulatory environment surrounding NVPs in Australia has rapidly evolved, shifting from a prescription-only model to availability through community pharmacies. Pharmacists play a critical role in addressing vaping-related health concerns. This study explores Australian pharmacists’ perspectives on their professional roles and the support needed to manage vaping-related enquiries. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 practicing pharmacists using a topic guide developed from the current literature and team expertise. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using an inductive approach to identify key themes. Key themes included risk perception, professional vaping health-related services, professional practice and other support-related needs. Pharmacists expressed significant uncertainty about the risks and harms associated with vaping. There was apprehension around the regulatory complexity of supplying NVPs, and participants called for greater education and support, particularly around NVP’s place in smoking cessation and potential vaping cessation services. Effective public health messaging and risk communication about vaping are crucial. At the centre of recent legislative changes, pharmacists require training and professional support to address vaping-related scenarios and provide counselling that aligns with individual risk perceptions, ensuring NVP use is clinically appropriate.

The Health Hackathon is an innovative methodology which seeks to upskill high school students (aged 14–16 years) to develop a health promotion campaign for their school community while fostering industry connections and broadening awareness of careers in health. The programme involves a 2-day workshop where selected students engage in a range of interactive activities and receive presentations from industry professionals on co-design, gamification, digital communications, public speaking and career pathways in health. Students are provided the autonomy to select any health issue which they see as affecting young people and the solution to address these issues.

(1) Background: The increasing use of e-cigarettes/vaping in children and adolescents has been recognised as a global health concern. We aim to explore the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of General Practitioners (GPs) in Sydney regarding the use of e-cigarettes in children and adolescents and identify the barriers to addressing this issue. (2) Methods: This pilot study was a cross-sectional study conducted using an electronic questionnaire with a Likert scale and free-text responses. (3) Results: Fifty-three GPs participated in the study (male = 24 and female = 29) with a mean age of 50 ± 5.5 years. There was strong agreement (mean 4.5) about respiratory adverse effects and addictive potential. However, there was less awareness of cardiac side effects and the occurrence of burns. There is a lack of conversation about e-cigarettes in GP practice and a deficit of confidence in GPs regarding managing e-cigarette use in children and adolescents. (4) Conclusions: Our pilot study has shown that GPs are somewhat knowledgeable about the potential adverse effects of the use of e-cigarettes in children and adolescents, though there is a lack of knowledge of the complete spectrum of adverse effects and more importantly, there is a paucity of a structured approach to discuss the use of e-cigarettes with children and adolescents, and there is a low level of confidence in addressing these issues. There is a need for educational interventions for GPs to increase awareness of the potential adverse effects of using e-cigarettes and build confidence in providing management to children and adolescents regarding the use of e-cigarettes.