The impact of the ‘CATCH My Breath’ vaping prevention curriculum among high school students in Ontario, Canada: Results of a pilot test

Background

Youth vaping is a public health concern in Canada. However, there is a dearth of evaluation data for school-based vaping prevention programs in Canada. This pilot study assessed short-term changes in knowledge, subjective norms, and intentions to vape among a sample of high school students in Ontario, Canada exposed to the ‘CATCH My Breath’ (CMB) vaping prevention curriculum.

Methods

A convenience sample of 10 high schools across Ontario delivered CMB lessons between October 2022 and April 2023. Students completed an online survey before being exposed to CMB and 4-weeks after the lessons. McNemar’s Chi-square exact tests of paired proportions assessed significant changes in knowledge, subjective norms, and intentions to vape before/after exposure to the curriculum among n = 116 students who could be linked over time.

Results

After exposure to CMB, students exhibited a significant increase in their knowledge: pre-test scores averaged 5.5 and post-test scores averaged 7.5. At post-test, significantly fewer students thought that most people in high school vape. There were no significant changes in intentions to vape and pre/post changes were similar for boys and girls.

Discussion

After exposure to CMB, high school students in Ontario demonstrated significant increases in knowledge of the risks of vaping and modest reductions in perceptions of subjective norms of vaping. CMB has been adapted for use in high schools in Canada, and implementing this program could help to reduce youth vaping.