Impact of standardising the colour and branding of vape devices on product appeal among young people: a randomised experiment in England, Canada, and the US

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the impact of standardising the colour and branding of disposable vaping devices on young people’s interest in trying them.

DESIGN, SETTING and PARTICIPANTS: Data were from national surveys of 16-29-year-olds in Canada, England, and the US in 2023 (N=15,259).

INTERVENTIONS: Respondents were randomised (1:1) to view images of either four branded disposable vapes (N=7,638) or four standardised white disposable vapes (N=7,621) and asked which they would be interested in trying.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes were selecting “no interest in trying” rather than any of the vapes displayed. We also examined whether the impact of standardisation differed by five potential moderators.

RESULTS: A greater proportion of participants reported “no interest in trying” the white standardised than branded vapes (67.1% vs 62.8%; Adjusted Risk Ratio [ARR]=1.127, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]=1.085-1.169). Compared with those who had never smoked or vaped, the impact of standardisation on those reporting no interest was greater for those who had, in the past 30-days, only smoked (47.5% vs 37.5%, ARR=1.287, 95%CI=1.079-1.495), only vaped (19.9% vs 16.4%, ARR=1.220, 95%CI=1.002-1.438), dual used (13.5% vs 9.5%, ARR=1.420, 95%CI=1.017-1.822), or who had formerly vaped/smoked (72.6% vs 65.0%, ARR=1.119, 95%CI=1.071-1.167). The impact was also greatest in the oldest age group, but there were no other clear moderators.

CONCLUSIONS: Standardising the colour and branding of disposable vaping devices reduces young people’s interest in trying them. However, this includes a substantial impact on those who smoke.