The effect of standardised packaging and limited flavour descriptors of vape pods among adults and youth - online experiments

Significance: Vape (e-cigarette) use among youth and adults has increased in Great Britain (GB). Vape packaging often includes colourful designs and conceptual flavour names, which appeal to youth. Hence, vape packaging regulation is being considered in GB. We examined the impact of standardised vape packaging and flavour names on appeal to youth and adults.Methods: Online experiments in the 2024 Action on Smoking and Health Youth (n=2,770, aged 11-18), and custom Prolific Academic Adult (n=3,947, aged 18+), surveys. Participants were randomised to one packaging condition from: (1) branded packs (Control), (2) standardised white with usual descriptions (e.g.blu razz) (3) standardised white with limited flavour descriptions (e.g.blueberry and raspberry), and among adults only (4) standardised white with coded flavour descriptions (e.g.FR248). All participants were asked to report peer or own interest in trying the vapes displayed, and adults were asked how harmful they thought products were relative to cigarettes. Logistic regression models examined associations between interest in trying products, harm perceptions, and packaging condition.Results: Youth reported higher odds of no perceived peer interest in trying vapes in standardised, (31.5%) and standardised with limited flavour descriptions (25.2%) packs, compared to branded (24.0%). When stratified by smoking and vaping, youth who had never smoked or vaped had higher odds of reporting no interest in standardised packs with usual or limited flavour descriptors compared to branded packs.Adults reported higher odds of no interest in trying standardised packs with coded flavour descriptions (76.2%), but not usual (75.4%) or limited (70.1%) flavour descriptions, compared to branded (71.5%). Adults who smoked or vaped had greater odds of reporting no interest in standardised packs with usual flavour descriptions compared to branded.Packaging condition did not have a significant effect on relative harm perceptions among adults (p>.05). Conclusions: Standardising packaging and limiting flavour descriptions reduced youth, but not adults, interest in trying vapes. There was little effect of standardised packaging on adults’ relative harm perceptions.