A researcher at the University of Hawai'i Cancer Center received a $2.8 million grant to develop a school- and culturally-based e-cigarette prevention intervention program for rural youths in the state.
The grant, awarded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, will allow Scott Okamoto to develop and build on an existing drug prevention curriculum, Ho'ouna Pono, according to an Aug. 24 release from the cancer center. More than 500 students are expected to enroll in the study over five years.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study to develop and test an e-cigarette prevention intervention tailored to rural Hawaiian youth," Mr. Okamoto said in the release. "Our proposed intervention will educate youth on the risks of e-cigarette use, while also reflecting the cultural and relational values of rural Hawaiian youth and communities."