Date of Conferral
2021
Degree
Doctor of Public Administration (D.P.A)
School
Public Policy and Administration
Advisor
Raj K. Singh
Abstract
AbstractThe pervasiveness of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and vaping among teenagers has led to a need for effective interventions to address this problem. One type of intervention that nonprofit organizations (NPOs) such as the American Lung Association (ALA) have adopted is the use of educational programs. For instance, ALA introduced an educational program referred to as Nicotine Dependence: Education, Prevention, Tobacco, and Health (INDEPTH), which acts as an alternative to suspension and citation of teens engaged in e-cigarette smoking or vaping. Despite such interventions, the use of e-cigarettes persists, suggesting the need to determine the perceived effectiveness of such programs. This project assessed perceptions of the effectiveness of NPOs’ educational programs toward the prevention of teens’ use of e-cigarettes and vaping. The project was guided by behavioral and sociological models, particularly the health promotion model and social cognitive model. A qualitative methodology was used to examine programs implemented to deal with the issue of e-cigarette and vape pen use. Qualitative secondary data were retrieved from journal articles published on academic databases such as Google Scholar and the Walden University Library. Content analysis was used to analyze the data to identify emergent patterns and themes. The findings indicated that educational interventions by ALA and other NPOs are perceived as effective in reducing vaping among youth. The project findings may inform the adoption of policy interventions championing the implementation of educational programs toward lowering the rate of e-cigarette use and vaping among teenagers, thereby resulting in positive social change. However, more evaluation studies are necessary to provide more evidence on the perceived effectiveness of these educational interventions.
Recommended Citation
Scott, Paulette, "Nonprofit Organizations’ Program Evaluation of Education Toward Prevention of Teens Using Electronic Cigarettes and Vaping" (2021). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 10178.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/10178
