About
Introduction
E-cigarette use among adolescents has become a significant public health concern, with many young people exposed to the risks of vaping without fully understanding the potential consequences.VapeSMA℞T is a new serious game toolkit under development by the CRoME Lab, designed to teach adolescents and their parents about important safety and prevention information related to e-cigarettes and vaping. By engaging families in interactive learning, VapeSMA℞T aims to address the growing need for accessible, evidence-based vaping education.
Purpose
The VapeSMA℞T Families toolkit will include an interactive serious game and a personalized family vaping safety plan. While other serious games, such as those developed by Yale, have focused on educating adolescents about the dangers of e-cigarettes and skills to resist peer pressure, VapeSMA℞T is uniquely grounded in the CRoME Lab's previous research on the Pharmacist-Led E-cigarette and Vaping Educational Resource (Ph-EVER). The Ph-EVER consists of two infographics, with one tailored towards adolescents (Teen E-cigarette and Vaping Educational Resource; T-EVER) and the other tailored towards parents (Parent E-cigarette and Vaping Educational Resource; P-EVER). This research foundation, combined with collaboration with community partners in Wisconsin, ensures that VapeSMA℞T is informed by real-world perspectives and community needs.
Goal
Our goal is to educate adolescents and their families about the risks associated with e-cigarettes and vaping, and to empower them to make informed decisions. By playing VapeSMA℞T, we hope families will learn how to recognize the dangers of vaping, develop skills to resist peer pressure, and create personalized vaping safety plans. Through these interactive tools, VapeSMA℞T aims to facilitate meaningful parent-child conversations about e-cigarette safety and promote healthier choices for the whole family.
Publications
- Abraham O, Quach V, Li JS. Parent perspectives on a pharmacist-disseminated vaping educational tool for vaping prevention. Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy. 2025;19:100615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100615
- Maday E, Brekke A, Li J, Abraham O. Pharmacists' Perspectives on Providing Educational Intervention to Address E-Cigarette Use and Vaping among Adolescents and Their Parents. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. Published online March 24, 2025:102392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2025.102392
- Abraham O, Matulle MJ, Li JS, Thao S, Maday E, Zhao Q. Stakeholder perspectives of tobacco use on campus and implementation of a tobacco-free policy at a Midwest university. Tobacco Prevention & Cessation. 2025;11(February):12. https://doi.org/10.18332/tpc/199932
- Abraham O, Paulsen Z, Slonac E, Li J. Parent perspectives on the design, implementation, and use of the parent E-cigarette and vaping educational resource (P-EVER). Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy. 2024;16:100532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100532
- Klubertanz GC, Matulle MJ, Li JS, Abraham O. Adolescent Perspectives on the Pharmacy-Based T-EVER (Teen E-Cigarette and Vaping Educational Resource) and Its Potential Impact on Youth Vaping. Pharmacy. 2024;12(4):101. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy12040101
Contact
If you have questions about this research, please contact the Principal Investigator, Dr. Olufunmilola Abraham by email: Olufunmilola.Abraham@uky.edu.
If you have questions about the CRoME Lab, our studies, becoming a participant, or want to join the team, please contact the Research Coordinator by email: crome.lab@uky.edu.
The CRoME Lab's mission is to develop, implement, and disseminate novel methods for improving medication safety and health behaviors for vulnerable and underserved populations, while training the next generation of researchers. Projects within the CRoME research core share the common goal of applying community-engaged, collaborative, and transdisciplinary approaches to improving medication use and health outcomes for families through education, prevention, and intervention programs. For more information, please visit our website: https://pharmacy.uky.edu/crome/
Funding Support
Funding information for VapeSMA℞T will be updated soon. For more details about the CRoME Lab's research funding and support, please visit the CRoME Lab website.