‘UNCLOUD’ young lives: development and evaluation of a national peer-to-peer anti-vaping campaign for young people in Australia

Youth vaping is increasing in Australia and internationally, highlighting the need for effective prevention and cessation strategies. Large-scale public health campaigns targeting vaping remain relatively uncommon, particularly those incorporating youth-informed design and rigorous evaluation. This project aimed to develop and evaluate a national, peer-to-peer anti-vaping campaign (UNCLOUD) using a multi-stage research approach. We conducted three sequential studies with young people aged 14–25 years in Australia (2022–2024). In Study 1, we used a cross-sectional national survey ( n = 2,204) to assess vaping behaviors, attitudes, and perceived social norms. In Study 2, we conducted a qualitative study ( n = 135) using interviews and group discussions to explore responses to anti-vaping messaging and inform campaign development. In Study 3, we implemented a repeated cross-sectional evaluation ( n = 3,000) to assess campaign awareness, media performance, and self-reported attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. We compared participants who were aware versus unaware of the campaign using weighted analyses. In Study 1, 29% of participants reported vaping in the past 30 days, while 77% perceived vaping as common among peers. In Study 2, participants identified messaging that focused on relatable, short-term harms and authentic peer-to-peer communication as most effective. The UNCLOUD campaign reached over 136 million individuals and generated over 9 million content views in the first 3 months post-launch. In Study 3, young people who vaped and recalled the campaign reported a greater desire to quit vaping ( p = 0.001) and greater avoidance of vaping around others ( p = 0.007) than those who were unaware of the campaign. Among young people who did not vape, 74% reported increased confidence to refuse vaping. Overall, 66% of participants reported taking at least one action after exposure to the campaign, such as discussing vaping with others or seeking additional information about vaping. A multi-stage, youth-informed approach enabled us to develop a national anti-vaping campaign with substantial reach and engagement. Exposure to the campaign was associated with favorable self-reported attitudes and behaviors related to vaping. These findings support the potential value of theory-informed, peer-to-peer public health campaigns targeting youth vaping, although findings should be interpreted in light of the study design.