Presenting my poster at the College of Education and Health Professions Research Symposium

Author: Tyler Merreighn | Majors: Public Health, Biology | Semester: Spring 2023

My name is Tyler Merreighn, and I am a senior Honors student in the College of Education and Health Professions and Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences with a double major in public health and biology and a minor in medical humanities. My mentor is Dr. Page Dobbs in the Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation. My research was funded for the Spring 2023 semester. Upon graduation, I plan to stay in Fayetteville to work on my Master of Business Administration and serve as a Graduate Assistant in the University of Arkansas Honors College.

During the past year, I have been analyzing survey data and interview responses regarding young adults’ experiences attempting to quit using electronic cigarettes. By employing a mixed methods analysis looking at both quantitative and qualitative data, I was able to better understand participants’ actual experiences trying to quit using e-cigarettes and what factors contributed to making those attempts unsuccessful. The results of this study provide insight into the challenges, many of which are related to distress and dependence, young adults face when attempting to quit using e-cigarettes. Knowing this, it is important that tobacco prevention messages, programs, and cessation services consider co-occurring distress during e-cigarette quit attempts.

Around a year ago, I had no direction in research. I began browsing the research being conducted by public health faculty on our campus, and Dr. Dobbs’ e-cigarette research in the Health Equity and Addictions Lab was especially interesting to me. It felt like an issue proximal to my identity as a college student – after all, I am pretty confident it would be difficult to find a current college student who doesn’t know someone who vapes and/or knows someone who has tried to quit vaping before. After emailing Dr. Dobbs and meeting in person to discuss my interests and her research, I was confident she would be a great mentor for me.

The data I used for my project is part of a larger study by my mentor, and I chose to look at quitting experiences and associated distress. The vast majority of participants experienced some level of dependence on e-cigarettes, and as dependence level increased, participants were significantly more likely to have attempted to quit using e-cigarettes at least once in the past. There was also a direct association between increased dependence and number of times individuals had tried to quit in the past. Withdrawal, cravings, and social underperformance were all significantly associated with participants having a past quit attempt, so it is likely that avoidance of these stressors is a reason for failing to quit. One participant described trying to quit using e-cigarettes as feeling “like the world is over”. I find it incredibly fascinating being able to better understand individuals’ actual experiences with the research topic, and engaging with the qualitative data helped me feel more connected and personally invested in the good that can potentially come from this research. My past research experience had been in a wet lab, so this research was my first “non-traditional”, out-of-lab research experience, and I really enjoyed this type of research.

Dr. Dobbs was crucial to the success of my research, always happy to answer questions and teach me how to use the data analysis software. She guided me in drafting a manuscript for submission to a peer-reviewed journal and helped prepare me to present my research at local and national conferences. I had the opportunity to present my research at the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco’s annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas, which provided an incredible opportunity to network and learn about other research happening related to nicotine and tobacco. I also presented at the College of Education and Health Professions Honors Research Symposium, where I placed second. I worked with another undergraduate student, Mufazzela Tabassum, while coding qualitative responses and conducting a thematic analysis.

After graduating, I plan to refine my manuscript for Drug and Alcohol Dependence. In August, I will be beginning my Master of Business Administration in the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. I plan to work in healthcare administration.