Barriers, facilitators, and best practices for successful vaping prevention campaigns for sexual and gender minority youth

Background Sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) vape at higher rates than their heterosexual and/or cisgender peers. SGMY prefer SGM-specific anti-tobacco messaging; however, there have been no vaping prevention campaigns designed for SGMY. Purpose Using the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework, we sought to explore specific barriers, facilitators, and best practices for health promotion for SGMY that will inform future vaping prevention campaigns. Methods We conducted 11 qualitative interviews with key stakeholders from government and non-profit organizations who work in public health campaigns or with SGMY at national, state, and local levels. Data were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results We identified 4 main themes from our analysis: (1) youth engagement, (2) sociopolitical context, (3) dissemination and measurement, and (4) inter-organizational collaboration. Participants described barriers and facilitators in the 4 themes. Conclusions Based on these findings, we developed 3 recommendations to guide and improve the success of future vaping prevention campaigns for SGMY. First, youth engagement should be at the forefront of campaign development and dissemination. Second, SGMY of color should be centered and represented in campaigns due to racial inequity in tobacco-related illness and death. Third, inter-organizational collaboration is strongly encouraged to minimize the resource burden on each organization and maximize potential collective output.