Johns Hopkins University and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) invite you to complete a survey as part of a research study. We are working to better understand how people use e-cigarettes, also known as vaping devices. The information collected will be used to better understand the impacts of future policy proposals. We are asking you to take this survey and join the study because you may use e-cigarettes. If you agree to proceed, you will first be asked to register by providing a valid name, date of birth, cell phone number, email address, and mailing address. This information is necessary in order to verify your identity, confirm your location, and distribute the current and future surveys and gift codes. Using the contact information provided, we will then send you a secure link to our screening questions. You will be asked to answer questions for about 1-2 minutes to determine if you meet all requirements before taking the survey. Participation is voluntary. You do not have to take this survey; it is your choice. There is no penalty if you choose not to participate.

The survey will take about 15 minutes, but you may take as much time as you need. It is recommended you complete the survey in private to prevent others from impacting your answers. While no sensitive questions will be asked, if you are not comfortable answering any of the questions, you may close the browser. Questions will focus on e-cigarette and cigarette use, attitudes, purchase behaviors, addiction, and respiratory health. You may also stop the survey at any time by clicking "save and exit". At the end of the survey you will be asked if you wish to submit or discard your responses. To remove your responses after submitting them, you may contact our study team using the information below. There will be no penalty.

At the end of this survey, we may ask you to take future surveys. By agreeing at the end of this survey to do so, you give consent to receive future surveys from VCU. Even if you choose not to take future surveys, you will still receive your gift code for completing this survey.

There is always a minor risk for loss of confidentiality; however, we will not let anyone outside our study team see your answers or account information. We will do our best to keep your information safe by securely storing your answers on our servers. After the study is completed, your name, date of birth, email address, phone number, and mailing address will be deleted. There will be no way to identify you when data from this survey are shared outside of the study team. After your name, date of birth, email address, phone number, and mailing address are deleted, the non-identifying data may be used for future research studies or distributed to the study sponsor or another researcher for future studies without additional informed consent.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration recommend that people not use THC-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, products, particularly from informal sources like friends, family, or in-person or online dealers. Use of these THC-containing products has led to respiratory illnesses such as difficulties breathing, shortness of breath and/or chest pain. In some cases, their use has led to death. In some cases symptoms of mild to moderate gastrointestinal illness such as vomiting, diarrhea, or fevers or fatigue have been reported. If you use these products, monitor yourself for symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath, chest pain) and promptly seek medical attention if you have concerns about your health.

Certificate of Confidentiality: To help us protect your privacy, we have obtained a Certificate of Confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health; these protections are described here. A Certificate of Confidentiality helps the researchers keep your information private. For example, researchers can refuse to give out your information in a court case. Researchers may have to give your information if the study is audited, or if the information is required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The researchers cannot prevent you or others, for example a member of your family, from sharing information about you or your involvement in this research. If you give an insurer, employer, or other person permission to receive research information, then the researchers may not use the Certificate to withhold that information.

You will not receive any direct personal health benefit from completing this survey, nor will you receive any individual results from the study. Compensation for this survey and any future surveys completed will be an Amazon gift code worth $10. The gift code is meant to compensate you for your time. Your first gift card will be mailed to the address provided within four weeks. Please note that only one individual per mailing address is eligible to receive the incentive and if multiple individuals from the same address respond to the survey, the incentive will only be sent once. We will not mail incentives to P.O. Boxes or addresses that are outside of a reasonable distance from the city you indicated living in. We will send the incentive only once even if an individual responds to this survey more than once. Once your mailing address has been verified, future gift cards will be sent by mail or electronically.

Any perceived attempt to speed through the survey, take the survey more than once, or provide false or misleading information will result in your disqualification from the survey and forfeiture of any promised incentives. This determination will be at the sole discretion of the study team.

Do you have any questions or want any clarifications? The VAPER Study team may be contacted at vaper@vcu.edu or 1-800-304-9402 if you have any general questions about the study. You may contact the VCU Institutional Review Board (IRB) if you have general questions about your rights as a participant, or if you wish to discuss problems or concerns. They can be reached by phone at (804) 827-2157, or by mail at Virginia Commonwealth University Office of Research, 800 East Leigh Street, Suite 3000, Box 980568, Richmond, VA 23298.