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A two-arm cluster Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) was conducted among 5,157 year seven and eight students (12–14 years old) in 40 secondary schools across three Australian states.
- Schools were randomly assigned (1:1) to OurFutures Vaping or an active control group (usual health education.)
- OurFutures Vaping consisted of four 40 minute lessons about e-cigarettes and tobacco (eg, prevalence rates, associated harms, refusal strategies, and help-seeking), delivered approximately 1 week apart. Each lesson comprised a web-based cartoon with embedded quizzes and reflective activities (core intervention component) that was completed individually by students or as a class (dependent on teacher preference). Each cartoon was supplemented with a fact sheet and teacher-facilitated class activities (eg, quizzes, class discussions, or role plays) as optional resources to reinforce content and provide an opportunity for critical thinking and practicing skills.
- Compared with the control group, participants who received the intervention were 65% less likely to use e-cigarettes in the past 12-month (odds ratio 0·35 [95% CI 0·18–0·66], p=0·0013) 1 year after receiving the intervention.
- Key strengths of this study are that it was the largest trial of an eHealth e-cigarette prevention program worldwide, and the first RCT of any school-based e-cigarette prevention program in Australia. Additional strengths include rigorous intention-to-treat analyses, a sample size spanning more than 5,000 students across three Australian states, and high retention rates.
Published in August 2025
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