Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) for MA Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program

Three research centers at UMass Amherst are launching a community-based evaluation to learn more about how tobacco, nicotine and vaping product use affect young people. The Center for Community Health Equity Research (CCHER), in partnership with the Center for Program Evaluation (CPE) and the Center of Racial Justice and Youth Engagement (CRJ) in the College of Education are collaborating to better understand which policies and programs help reduce youth consumption of these products.

In partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program (MTCP), UMass Amherst researchers will work alongside youth researchers to produce recommendations to reduce and prevent tobacco and nicotine use by children and young adults, with a focus on reducing health inequities. We use Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) principles to engage youth and young adults (ages ~12–25), including current and former tobacco/nicotine users, to better understand the structural and individual factors driving tobacco and nicotine use, assess the reach and impact of MTCP’s current prevention and cessation strategies, and develop community-driven, actionable recommendations to strengthen access, utilization, and effectiveness.

The project is funded through a settlement the state Attorney General’s Office reached with Juul Labs, Inc. in 2023, holding the company accountable for its role in fueling the youth vaping epidemic. The commonwealth will receive $41 million as part of the $462 million multistate settlement.

The work is grounded in a health equity lens and will include youth and young adults from MTCP priority communities, particularly those who identify as BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+, have lived experience of disability, mental illness, and/or substance use, and those whose experiences reflect multiple, intersecting marginalized identities. The evaluation will be guided by a Community Research Committee and youth/young adult advisors. Youth input will directly guide state efforts to improve health and promote racial and social equity across Massachusetts.

PARTNERS:

This work is a collaboration across three UMass centers, combining expertise in youth-engaged research, health equity research, and evaluation design and implementation:

PROJECT TEAM:

Project leadership:

  • Susan Shaw, PhD; Project Co-Director
    Professor of Community Health Education; Director, Center for Community Health Equity Research
  • Keisha Green, PhD; Project Co-Director
    Associate Professor; Co-Founder, Center of Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research

Team members:

Graduate Research Assistants:

  • Jazmine Chan (CCHER)
  • Ariel Scalise (CPE)

Consultants:

  • Christina Cater (CRJ)