An assessment of provincial policy and youth vaping rates in Alberta

To date, no research has examined the impact of the new youth vaping policy in Alberta which was implemented July 2021. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in youth vaping and purchasing patterns in Alberta following the new legislation. Cross-sectional data collected before and after the policy's implementation were compared. Additionally, differences between sex, gender, and grade level were evaluated. Cross-sectional data were obtained through two cycles of the Canadian Student Tobacco Alcohol and Drugs Survey from students in grades 7 through 12 in 2018/19 and 2021/22 (pooled n = 15,578). The samples were weighted to represent youth in Alberta in each period. Changes in vaping prevalence and underage purchases between survey waves were analyzed using proportions and logistic regression models adjusted for confounders. In Alberta, there was a 5.1% reduction in the prevalence of youth vaping following 2021 legislation to restrict this activity. The weighed proportion of students who vaped decreased from 19.9% in 2018/19 to 14.8% in 2021/22. After adjustment for confounders, there was a statistically significant reduction on past 30-day vape use between survey waves (OR: 0.65, 99% CI: 0.56–0.76). This decrease was more pronounced in males and students in grades 10–12. In 2018/19, 12.6% of youth purchased vape products underage and this slightly increased to 13.3% in 2021/22, however, these changes, including stratification by sex/gender, were not statistically significant. There was a statistically significant decline in youth vaping between survey waves, particularly among older youth and males, during the introduction of a new prevention policy. However, unmeasured factors such as societal trends and cultural norms may have also played a role.

Authors

• Hepp, Amanda
• University of Lethbridge. Facutly of Health Sciences

• public policy
• legislation
• e-cigarette
• vape
• Alberta
• youth
• adolescent
• assessment
• Canada

Identifier

hdl:10133/7049

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:opus.uleth.ca:10133/7049