Annual Report to the Virginia

Foundation for Healthy Youth: FY 2014

Virginia Youth Tobacco Projects Research Coalition Core

Robert L. Balster, Ph.D.

J. Randy Koch, Ph.D.

Alison Breland, Ph.D.

Danielle Terrell, M.S.

VirginiaCommonwealthUniversity

Center for the Study of Tobacco Products

July 31, 2014
Executive Summary

With funding from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY), the Virginia Youth Tobacco Projects (VYTP) Research Coalition was established in 2002 to advance the prevention of youth tobacco use through an integrated program of basic and applied research, research translation and dissemination. The goals of the VYTP are to:

  1. Attract new faculty to work on problems of adolescent tobacco use;
  2. Facilitate the development of multi-university, multi-disciplinary collaborations in carrying out the VFHY research program;
  3. Disseminate the results of adolescent tobacco use research to other researchers, policy makers and practitioners;
  4. Use VFHY sponsorship to leverage additional funding for youth tobacco research; and,
  5. Promote the translation of research findings into improved prevention services and tobacco control policies.

The VYTP Research Coalition was funded for an additional three years (under the title of the VYTP Research Coalition Core) beginning July 1, 2012 to continue its successful efforts of the previous 9 years. This report covers the period of July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014. Major accomplishments for the past year include:

  1. A request for applications (RFA) was released in August 2012 soliciting proposals for the next round of the VYTP Small Grants Program.We received six applications from five universities, with two excellent applications selected for funding beginning in January 2013. A second RFA was released in February 2013 that resulted in five applications from four universities. Three applications were selected for funding with start dates in July 2013. Once again, the funded studies represented a broad range of disciplines and research topics, and were successful in attracting several new investigators to the field of adolescent tobacco use while also contributing to our knowledge of youth tobacco use.
  2. The annual meeting of the VYTP faculty and trainees was held on February 27 and 28, 2014. The meeting featured progress reports on both the VFHY-funded large research grants and VYTP small grants. As usual, the research presented included a wide range of both basic science and applied studies. In addition to presentations of VFHY/VYTP-funded research, a workshop was conducted on Community Engaged Research by Ms. Amber D. Haley of VCU, and Drs. Aashir Nasim, Alison Breland, and J. Randy Koch presented preliminary results for a series of studies evaluating aspects of the VFHY-funded prevention programs. There was active attendance and participation by trainees.
  3. Preparing an update to the Summary and Integration Report of VFHY-funded Research: 2002 to 2013. This report summarizes and integrates all research funded by the VFHY and provides recommendations for future directions for both VYTP investigators and the VFHY.
  4. VCU was awarded an $18.1 million grant by the Food and Drug Administration/National Institute on Drug Abuse to become one of 14 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science. This grant was the direct result of early investment by VFHY in VCU research on tobacco. The goal of VCU’s Center for the Study of Tobacco Products (CSTP) is to develop and test a model for evaluating modified risk tobacco products (MRTPs) that may come to be regulated by the FDA, such as electronic cigarettes. Recent research shows that a large percentage of youth areusing electronic cigarettes and that it is growing at a dramatic rate (e.g., CDC, 2013). Thus, the goals of the CSTP are consistent with the goals of the VYTP, and the activities of this new Center will support the overall mission of the VFHY. Given this, the VYTP is now being administratively housed within CSTP where it will benefit from a research infrastructure devoted to addressing the problems of tobacco use.

Overall, the VYTP Research Coalition has been extremely successful in building a strong program of research on the causes and prevention of youth tobacco use. It has facilitated the entry of both junior and senior researchers into this field of research and stimulated collaborations across institutional and disciplinary boundaries. Its success can also be seen by the tremendous productivity of its participating faculty, who in FY 2014 submitted 26 grant applications (8 funded), published or submitted for publication over 71manuscripts, and made more than 48 conference presentations on youth tobacco use.

1

Annual Report to the Virginia

Tobacco Settlement Foundation: FY 2014

Virginia Youth Tobacco Project Research Coalition Core

Project Overview

With funding from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY), the Virginia Youth Tobacco Projects (VYTP) Research Coalition was established in 2002 to advance the prevention of youth tobacco use and nicotine dependence through an integrated program of basic and applied research, research translation and dissemination. The goals of the VYTP are to:

  1. Attract new faculty to work on problems of adolescent tobacco use;
  2. Facilitate the development of multi-university, multi-disciplinary collaborations in carrying out the VFHY research program;
  3. Disseminate the results of adolescent tobacco use research to other researchers, policy makers and practitioners;
  4. Use VFHY sponsorship to leverage additional funding for youth tobacco research; and,
  5. Promote the translation of research findings into improved prevention services and tobacco control policies.

The VYTP Research Coalition was funded for an additional three years (under the title of the VYTP Research Coalition Core) beginning July 1, 2012 to continue its successful effort of the previous9 years. The specific aims for the current project period are to:

  1. Continue to facilitate multi-university and multi-disciplinary collaborations, information sharing and skill development through the VYPT Research Coalition and build linkages to the broader substance abuse research community.
  2. Attract new investigators to conduct research on the etiology and prevention of youth tobacco use and stimulate new areas of research by conducting a small grants program.
  3. Develop recommendations for new policies and practices that are based on the results of past research and that could be implemented in specific settings where youth tobacco use may be reduced.
  4. Continue our efforts to facilitate the translation of research into practice by conducting a conference that brings together researchers, policy makers and practitioners.
  5. Disseminate products of VYTP research through maintenance of a web site, presentations at state and national meetings and preparation of reports and brochures.
  6. Assist VFHY in bringing national prominence to the VYTP research efforts and assist the VFHY in explaining and packaging its scientific research efforts.

During the secondyear of the project period, our activities have focused on the continued development of the VYTP Research Coalition and the VYTP small grants program. The status of each of these components is described below.

Key Findings/Progress on Specific

Aims, Methods, and Analysis for Year 2

VYTP Research Coalition Development

Membership

During the course of FY 2014, two members resigned from theVYTP Research Coalition; one who retired and one whose research interests changed. As a result, at the conclusion of the fiscal year, there were a total of 51faculty members from eight universities. The VYTP Research Coalition remains a vibrant organization with the vast majority of members actively participating in VYTP events, and several members continue to support their students’ participation in VYTP activities. A listing of current members and their affiliation is presented in Table 1. In addition, there is active participation in VTYP-funded activities by many graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.

Table 1.

VYTP Membership

Edmund Acevedo, VCU
Robert Balster, VCU
Cristina Bares, VCU
Robert Barnet, WM
Faye Belgrave, VCU
Warren Bickel, VT
Donna Bond, VT
Richard Bonnie, UVA
Viktor E. Bovbjerg, UVA
Kim Boyd, VSU
Amy Bradshaw, RBHA
Alison Breland, VCU
Darlene H. Brunzell, VCU
Josh Burk, WM
Yvonne Chen, VT
Kevin Cooper, VCU
Ron Cople, RHCC
Rose Corona, VCU
Imad Damaj, VCU
Cheryl Dickter, WM
Alan Dow, VCU
Tom Eissenberg, VCU
Karl J. Fryxell, GMU
Desideria S. Hacker, NSU
Linda Haddad, VCU
Linda Hancock, VCU / Ivora Hinton, UVA
Patricia Hollen, UVA
Pamela Hunt, WM
Jessica Irons, JMU
Resa Jones, VCU
May Kennedy, VCU
Lori Keyser-Marcus, VCU
Nadine Kabbani, GMU
Christine E. Kaestle, VT
Ken Kendler, VCU
Pamela Kulbok,UVA
J. Randy Koch, VCU
Martha Lambert, Henrico CSB
Wendy J. Lynch, UVA
Craig McDonald, GMU
Jennifer Manuel, VCU
Michael Mason, VCU
Peggy Meszaros, VT
Aashir Nasim, VCU
Mary O’Laughlen, UVA
Michael Scott, UVA
Robert Smith, GMU
Dace Svikis, VCU
Betsy Turf, VCU
Diane Wilson, VCU

VYTP Annual Meeting—FY 2013

The annual meeting of VYTP members and trainees was held on February 27 and 28, 2014. It was also attended by representatives of the VFHY. The meeting featured progress reports on both the VFHY-funded large research grants and VYTP small grants. As usual, the research presented included a wide range of both basic science and applied studies. Examples of specific research topics included an examination of parenting programs, text messaging, and exercise as tobacco use preventive interventions; molecular mechanisms underlying menthol cigarette addiction; African-American parent-adolescent communication about tobacco use; global DNA methylation following nicotine exposure; smoking initiation among sexual minority adolescents; and the role of self-control failure and smoking among adolescents.

In addition to presentations of VFHY/VYTP-funded research, a workshop was conducted on Community Engaged Research by Ms. Amber D. Haley of VCU. The intent of the workshop was to continue our efforts to encourage and support active research partnerships between VYTP investigators and community-based prevention programs. Finally, Drs. Aashir Nasim, Alison Breland, and J. Randy Koch presented preliminary results for a seriesof studies evaluating aspects of the VFHY-funded prevention programs. This three-year project addresses the need for additional data about: (1) VFHY program instructor strategies, barriers to implementation, and plans for sustainability; and (2) youth engagement in tobacco prevention activities and the extent to which youth share knowledge gained in prevention and intervention programs with their peers, family, and communities. There were several major findings from the first year of studies. First, 10characteristics that tobacco use prevention instructors find most important in engaging students in tobacco prevention curricula were identified and rated on importance and representativeness. Enthusiasm, promoting a positive environment, and authenticity and genuineness were rated as most important in effectively engaging students in tobacco prevention curricula. However, there was not a uniform belief that being aware and competent about youth culture and being creative and innovative in the classroom were important characteristics of tobacco use prevention instructors. Regional differences were observed for how instructors rated their fellow instructors (representativeness) on important characteristics. Second, research with youth enrolled in tobacco use prevention programs across Virginia showed that they demonstrated robust knowledge of tobacco prevention messages in 14 interrelated domains, which generalized across age, gender, race, grade and program type. Youth were more likely to share messages about refusal efficacy and alternatives to smoking than challenging social norms about smoking, and indicated that they would share similar tobacco use prevention messages with friends and family members.

A total of 15 scientific presentations were made over the two-day meeting, including three brief reports by graduate students. The meeting was attended by21 VYTP members. Six graduate students and post-doctoral fellows also attended the meeting, thus furthering our efforts to develop the next generation of youth tobacco researchers.A copy of the meeting agenda is included as Attachment A.

2013-15 Small Grants Program

The primary purpose of the VYTP Small Grants Program is to expand the network of researchers conducting studies on the causes and prevention of youth tobacco use in Virginia. In particular, this initiative is intended to:

  • attract new faculty scholars to work on problems of youth smoking,
  • encourage multi-university collaborations, and
  • stimulate pilot studies that can be used to attract additional outside funding.

The initial request for applications (RFA) for the Small Grants Program was released on August 14, 2012. We received six applications from five universities. Eight reviewers representing a wide range of disciplines evaluated the applications and VFHY selected two for funding. Each selected study was implemented in January 2013 and the investigators are nearing completion of these studies. Interim progress reports for these studies are presented in Appendix B.

With funds remaining to support additional small grants, a second RFA was released on February 11, 2013. This RFA resulted in five applications from four universities. Again, a multi-disciplinary group of seven reviewers from four universities was convened to evaluate the applications, and three were selected for funding. Of particular note is that all three PIs are new to the VYTP, and they bring new areas of research expertise to the group. The start date for these projects was July, 2013. They grantees are making excellent progress, with all grantees expecting to complete their projects by the end of the grant period. Progress reports for these studies are also presented in Appendix B.

The five funded small grants, based at four different universities, represent a range of research topics and methodologies. The selected awardees represent $130,829in funding for research on the causes and prevention of youth tobacco use. The applications selected for funding are presented in Table 2.

Table 2

Small Grants Program Awardees

PI Name/Institution / Title / AMOUNT
Rose Corona (VCU) / African American Parent-Adolescent Communication about Tobacco Use / $26,790
Christine Kaestle (VT) / Protective Factors against Smoking Initiation for Sexual Minority and Multiple Minority Adolescents / $26,777
Warren Bickel (VT) / The Consequences of Self Control Failure in Adolescents / $27,500
Nadine Kabbani (GMU) / Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Menthol Cigarette Addiction / $22,428
Michael Scott (UVA) / Investigation of Changes in Global DNS Methylation following Nicotine Exposure / $27,334
$130,829.00

Thus far, the Small Grants Program has been successful in generating interest in youth tobacco research on the part of a large number of university researchers. These include both junior faculty as well as highly experienced investigators who will now bring many years of experience and expertise to bear on what for them is often a new field of research. In addition, some of the funded studies include significant involvement of students, thus ensuring that a new generation of investigators is being trained to work in this area. The Small Grants Program has been successful in stimulating a wide variety of studies on youth tobacco use that may provide the key to new and more effective youth tobacco use prevention efforts.Beginning this year, VYTP faculty also became eligible to apply for pilot research funds from the new Center for the Study of Tobacco Products at VCU. This will provide yet another option for funding research on youth tobacco use, particularly research that informs the regulation of tobacco products, and will help expand and strengthen the network of tobacco researchers in Virginia.

Summary and Integration of VFHY-funded Research—Updated Report

The Summary and Integration Report of VFHY-funded Research presents a summary and analysis of all VFHY sponsored research through FY 2013. This report is an update to a previous report completed in 2011. The executive summary for this report is presented below.

Executive Summary

Using funds obtained from the Master Settlement Agreement, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY) supports a number of initiatives, including research on the causes, prevention, and treatment of youth tobacco use. This research has been conducted at several Virginia colleges and universities, organized under the Virginia Youth Tobacco Projects (VYTP). Using a unique multi-disciplinary research model, the VYTP has coordinated and promoted research on animal models of adolescent tobacco use, genetic studies in humans and animals, human laboratory studies, epidemiological studies, studies of prevention and treatment interventions, and policy-related studies. Prevention and treatment of tobacco use is necessary, as tobacco use results in nearly 500,000 deaths each year in the US, and it is projected that of all Virginia children currently under the age of 18, approximately 152,000 will die prematurely from smoking. As most adult smokers (80%) began smoking before age 18, preventing smoking initiation could dramatically reduce tobacco-related deaths. However, the prevention and cessation of tobacco use is a complex issue, as tobacco use is associated with rewarding effects as well as an aversive withdrawal syndrome. In addition, psychosocial and genetic factors impact individuals’ vulnerability to tobacco use and dependence. In an effort to bolster youth tobacco prevention efforts, the VFHY has funded researchers who seek to better understand and prevent adolescent tobacco use.