Annual Report 2018 | Page 12

“ Te FDA recently addressed the alarming epidemic of youth e-cigarette use by creating historic enforcement actions on e-cigarette marketing . Receiving the competitive federal grant is a recognition of the University of Hawai ‘ i ’ s leadership on this national problem .”

–

RANDALL HOLCOMBE , UH CANCER CENTER DIRECTOR

UH CANCER CENTER ASSOCIATE RESEARCHER

Population Sciences in the Pacifc Program , Cancer Prevention in the Pacifc

Pallav

Pokhrel , PhD , focuses his research on reducing tobacco-related cancer disparities and preventing abuse of new and emerging tobacco products such as e-cigarettes .

AWARDED $ 1.4M FOR E-CIGARETTE RESEARCH

Pallav Pokhrel

Te National Cancer Institute and the U . S . Food and Drug Administration awarded a three-year $ 1.4 million grant for e-cigarette research to Pokhrel . Pokhrel and his team will examine how marketing spreads e-cigarette knowledge , attitudes and behavior through young adult networks .

“ E-cigarettes are currently poorly regulated , and e-cigarette use is increasingly prevalent among youth and young adults between the ages of 18- and 25-years-old ,” said Pokhrel . “ Currently the public health consequences of e-cigarette use are largely unknown . Tis new study aims to generate knowledge that will help develop tobacco control policies and interventions that would promote the health of young adults in Hawai ‘ i and across the nation .”

Te research will also help identify vulnerable groups of young adults who develop nicotine addiction as a result of targeted e-cigarette marketing , and will highlight how e-cigarette use spreads among this age group as a result of marketing .

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