Parent Attitudes towards E-cigarettes and Self-efficacy in Communicating with their Children: A Scoping Review Protocol

BACKGROUND: While traditional cigarette use has declined steadily over the years in America, particularly among youth; it has been met with an increase in vaping and e-cigarette use. Current research suggests a relationship between parent attitudes and child tobacco use, however less is known about parental attitudes toward their child’s risk of and current use of e-cigarettes. With youth e-cigarette prevalence continuing to rise, research highlights the importance of parent-specific messaging. Further understanding parental attitudes toward e-cigarette use and self-efficacy in communicating about e-cigarettes with their children may help support these conversations and tailored messaging.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to conduct a scoping review of the current literature surrounding parent attitudes towards youth e-cigarette use, how these perceptions relate to child use patterns and to investigate parents’ self-efficacy in talking with their children about e-cigarettes.

METHODOLOGY: A systematic search for studies examining parental attitudes toward youth e-cigarette use will be conducted across MEDLINE PubMed, Embase (Elsevier), Dissertation & Theses (ProQuest), CINAHL, ERIC and PsycInfo (EBSOChost), and Web of Science (Clarivate) from January 2013 to August 2022. Google Scholar will also be searched for additional peer-reviewed and grey literature. Two reviewers will screen independently to identify articles for inclusion. Inclusion criteria for studies are parental outcomes including measurement of attitudes toward e-cigarettes among parents and published in the English language.

Results & Conclusions: Data will be extracted from included articles. Reviewers will use Qualtrics to extract data into an online form. We will use a descriptive analytical method to help summarize key findings. Synthesizing current findings will provide insight into the role parental attitudes play in youth e-cigarette use and how to support the development of effective communication strategies to support parents in talking with their children about e-cigarettes.