Measure Development for Prediction of E-cigarette Initiation

 描述（由申请人提供）：电子尼古丁输送系统（“电子烟”）的营销、可用性和使用正在以指数速度增长，特别是在年轻人中。电子烟可能是减少吸烟者危害的一种形式，可能有助于减少美国最大的可预防死亡原因。关键是我们要尽可能多地了解为什么吸烟者选择或不选择使用电子烟。此外，电子烟是非吸烟者使用尼古丁的新途径。电子烟通常含有成瘾性和有毒化学物质，可能会使吸烟重新正常化。我们必须了解什么是驾驶使用或缺乏使用的年轻人，包括吸烟者和非吸烟者。 药物结局预期，即，关于药物使用结果的信念是预测开始使用药物的关键工具。药物预期可以被理解为长期记忆中的信息结构，它组织对中枢神经系统的输入并指导行为管理，充当与先前条件和药物使用决定之间的联系有关的“最终共同途径”。在药物使用之前，药物预期是通过家庭成员、同龄人和媒体的观察而形成的。在开始使用后和继续使用期间，预期往往会变得更强，与长期记忆中的其他元素更相关，更具体，更积极。药物预期已被发现是物质使用开始的强有力的预测。 我们建议使用混合方法来开发电子烟预期问卷。测试开发将包括两个阶段。在第一个形成阶段，年轻成年人的焦点小组（N=80，分层以包括相同数量的电子烟使用者，即，“电子烟使用者”、“非电子烟使用者”、吸烟者和非吸烟者）以及与专家小组的协商将用于开发初始项目库。在第二阶段，将向大样本的年轻人（N=500）展示该初始项目库。项目反应理论将用于确定最佳功能项目并创建较短的调查。本调查将评估其收敛效度。最终的结果将是对电子烟预期的一个充分知情的，心理测量有效的评估。电子烟的预期结果将 促进未来的研究，并帮助指导公共卫生干预措施的开发和评估，如营销法规，标签要求和反信息的开发。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Marketing, availability, and use of electronic nicotine delivery systems ("e-cigarettes") are growing at an exponential rate, particularly among young adults. E-cigarettes may be a form of harm reduction for cigarette smokers, potentially helping to reduce the largest preventable cause of death in the United States. It is critical that we understand as much as possible about why cigarette smokers do or do not choose to use e-cigarettes. Additionally, e-cigarettes are a new entryway into nicotine use for non-smokers. E-cigarettes often contain addictive and toxic chemicals and could potentially renormalize cigarette smoking. It is imperative we understand what is driving usage or lack of usage among young adults including both smokers and non- smokers. Drug outcomes expectancies, i.e., beliefs about the results of drug use, are a key tool in predicting substance use initiation. Drug expectancies can be understood as information structures in long-term memory that organize input to the central nervous system and guide management of behavior, acting as a "final common pathway" implicated in connections between prior conditions and drug use decisions. Before substance use, drug expectancies develop from observation via family members, peers, and the media. After use initiation and during continued use, expectancies tend to become stronger, more associated with other elements in long-term memory, more specific, and more positive. Drug expectancies have been found to be robust predictors of substance use initiation. We propose using a mixed-methods approach to develop an e-cigarette expectancy questionnaire. Test development will involve two phases. In the first formative phase, focus groups with young adults (N=80, stratified to include equal numbers of e-cigarette users, i.e., "vapers," "non-vapers," smokers, and non-smokers) and consultation with an expert panel will be used to develop an initial item bank. In the second phase, this initial item bank will be presented to a large sample of young adults (N=500). Item Response Theory will be utilized to determine the best functioning items and to create a shorter survey. This survey will be assessed for its convergent validity. The end result will be a well-informed, psychometrically valid assessment of e-cigarette expectancies. This outcome expectancy measure for e-cigarettes will facilitate future research and help guide development and evaluation of public health interventions, such as marketing regulations, labeling requirements, and development of counter-messaging.