Electronic Cigarette Education for Parents of Adolescents

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to provide parents of adolescents with The Real Cost campaign’s evidence-based educational handout to increase knowledge of electronic cigarette health risks and improve intentions to discuss these risks with their adolescent. Background. In the United States, 4 million high school and 840,000 middle school students reported using electronic cigarettes in 2018. Numerous physical and mental health risks are associated with electronic cigarette use, especially during the critical period of adolescent development. To improve knowledge of these health risks, education should be provided by pediatric primary care providers during adolescent well child exams. Methods. This project utilized a pre-education and post-education survey to assess for changes in parental knowledge after delivery of The Real Cost campaign’s evidence-based educational handout. Participants were recruited from Arizona Kids Pediatrics in Surprise, Arizona. Participants included a convenience sample of parents of adolescents aged 11 to 17 at well child exams. Descriptive statistics and a paired t-test were used to analyze results. Results. A total of 10 participants completed the pre-education survey, received The Real Cost campaign’s evidence-based education handout, and completed the post-education survey. Data analysis showed a statistically significant (p=0.0015) increase in knowledge scores from the pre- to post-education survey. In addition, participants reported satisfaction with the educational session and had no suggestions for improvement. Conclusions. The evidence-based educational handout on health risks associated with electronic cigarette use in adolescents increased parents’ knowledge on this topic. This intervention proved to be successful at Arizona Kids Pediatrics and can be applied in future well child exams for this clinic’s patient population.