Lyu Joanne Chen, Afolabi Aliyyat, White Justin S, Ling Pamela M
Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.
Philip R Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.
JMIR Form Res. 2022 Dec 1;6(12):e42538. doi: 10.2196/42538.
Social media offer a promising channel to deliver e-cigarette cessation interventions to adolescents and young adults (AYAs); however, interventions delivered on social media face challenges of low participant retention and decreased engagement over time. Peer mentoring has the potential to ameliorate these challenges.
The aim of this study was to understand, from both the mentee and potential mentor perspective, the needs, expectations, and concerns of AYAs regarding peer mentoring to inform the development of social media-based peer mentoring interventions for e-cigarette cessation among AYAs.
Seven focus groups, including four mentee groups and three potential mentor groups, were conducted with 26 AYAs who had prior experience with e-cigarette use and attempts to quit in the context of a social media-based e-cigarette cessation intervention. Discussion focused on preferred characteristics of peer mentors, expectations about peer mentoring, mentoring mode, mentor training, incentives for peer mentors, preferred social media platforms for intervention delivery, supervision, and concerns. Focus group transcripts were coded and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.
Overall, participants were receptive to peer mentoring in social media-based cessation interventions and believed they could be helpful in assisting e-cigarette cessation. Participants identified the most important characteristics of peer mentors to be of similar age and to be abstinent from e-cigarette use. Participants expected peer mentors would share personal experiences, provide emotional support, and send check-ins and reminders. Peer mentors supporting a group of mentees in combination with one-on-one mentoring as needed was the preferred mentoring mode. A group of 10 mentees with a mentor:mentee ratio of 1:3-5 was deemed acceptable for most participants. Participants expressed that mentor training should include emotional intelligence, communication skills, and the scientific evidence about e-cigarettes. Although monetary incentives were not the main motivating factor for being a peer mentor, they were viewed as a good way to compensate mentors' time. Instagram was considered an appropriate social media platform to deliver a peer-mentored intervention due to its functionality. Participants did not express many privacy concerns about social media-based peer mentoring, but mentioned that boundaries and community agreements should be set to keep relationships professional.
This study reflects the needs and preferences of young people for a peer mentoring intervention to complement a social media program to support e-cigarette cessation. The next step will be to establish the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of such a peer mentoring program.
社交媒体为向青少年和青年（AYA）提供电子烟戒烟干预措施提供了一个有前景的渠道；然而，在社交媒体上开展的干预措施面临着参与者留存率低以及随着时间推移参与度下降的挑战。同伴指导有可能改善这些挑战。
本研究的目的是从受指导者和潜在指导者的角度，了解AYA对同伴指导的需求、期望和担忧，以为开发基于社交媒体的AYA电子烟戒烟同伴指导干预措施提供信息。
开展了7个焦点小组，包括4个受指导者小组和3个潜在指导者小组，参与者为26名有电子烟使用经历且曾在基于社交媒体的电子烟戒烟干预措施中尝试戒烟的AYA。讨论聚焦于同伴指导者的理想特征、对同伴指导的期望、指导模式、指导者培训、对同伴指导者的激励、开展干预措施的理想社交媒体平台、监督以及担忧。使用主题分析方法对焦点小组记录进行编码和分析。
总体而言，参与者接受基于社交媒体的戒烟干预措施中的同伴指导，并认为其有助于辅助电子烟戒烟。参与者确定同伴指导者最重要的特征是年龄相仿且不使用电子烟。参与者期望同伴指导者分享个人经历、提供情感支持，并进行定期联系和提醒。首选的指导模式是同伴指导者根据需要结合一对一指导来支持一组受指导者。对于大多数参与者来说，一组10名受指导者且指导者与受指导者比例为1:3至1:5是可以接受的。参与者表示，指导者培训应包括情商、沟通技巧以及关于电子烟的科学证据。虽然金钱激励不是成为同伴指导者的主要动机，但它们被视为补偿指导者时间的好方法。由于其功能，Instagram被认为是开展同伴指导干预措施的合适社交媒体平台。参与者对基于社交媒体的同伴指导没有表达太多隐私担忧，但提到应设定界限和社区协议以保持专业关系。
本研究反映了年轻人对同伴指导干预措施的需求和偏好，以补充支持电子烟戒烟的社交媒体项目。下一步将是确定此类同伴指导项目的可行性、可接受性和初步效果。
