Evaluation of the Vaping ECHO for Education Pilot Initiative in Kansas

In the third year of Vaping ECHO for Education, a pilot program which addresses vaping among Kansas youth, about one-third (38.5 percent) of school teams implemented a new vaping policy and more than three-fourths (84.7 percent) of school teams reported starting development or completing development of community partnerships to address vaping. The majority (86.4 percent) of respondents indicated they would recommend the Vaping ECHO for Education program to others, due to the usefulness of resources and information provided, value of discussions and shared perspectives, program design and student-centered approach.

The Vaping ECHO for Education Pilot Initiative was developed in collaboration with the Vaping Task Force, which was convened by the Kansas State Board of Education from June 2019 through December 2021. The Kansas Health Institute provides coordination, facilitation and evaluation services to schools across Kansas for the pilot, which uses the Project ECHO® model to disseminate evidence-based strategies for e-cigarette prevention and cessation among youth.

Project ECHO® is a collaborative model that aims to build workforce capacity in rural and underserved areas. The model has four foundational principles: using technology to leverage scarce resources, sharing best practices to reduce disparities, employing case-based learning and guided practice to support participants mastering complexity, and monitoring program outcomes.

The Cohort I evaluation report, authored by Hina B. Shah, M.P.H., Angela S Wu, M.S., Samiyah Para-Cremer Moore, M.Sc. and Wen-Chieh Lin, Ph.D, presents findings from evaluating the first year of the three-year Vaping ECHO for Education Pilot Initiative in Kansas. The evaluation found that the program successfully equipped critical school staff with valuable e-cigarette cessation resources, tools and techniques.

The Cohort II evaluation report, authored by Samiyah Para-Cremer Moore, M.Sc, Angela S Wu, M.S., Cynthia Snyder, M.A., Hina B. Shah, M.P.H., and Wen-Chieh Lin, Ph.D., continued the work of Cohort I report, with an increased focus on the School Action Plan, a unique feature of the Kansas pilot. It assessed the following areas: program management and participant satisfaction, development and implementation of action plans and participant and school-level outcomes.

The Cohort III evaluation report, authored by Cynthia Snyder, M.A., Kaci Cink, M.P.H., Emma Uridge, M.P.H., Viktoria Sterkhova, M.P.H., Angela S Wu, M.S. and Wen-Chieh Lin, Ph.D., provides the evaluation for the third year of the pilot initiative. It showcases individual-level outcomes and school team level outcomes, and discusses improvement strategies for Cohort IV.

For additional background on the program structure and implementation, read this article in the journal Frontiers: Development and implementation of the ECHO model in a school setting to address youth electronic cigarette use in Kansas: A protocol.

For more information about KHI's Ad Astra ECHO Hub, visit our website. For a graphical overview of the Vaping ECHO for Education Pilot Initiative in Kansas, check out these posters:

• Poster: It's Not Water Vapor − A Statewide Initiative to Address E-cigarette Use in Middle and High School(Sept. 2022)
• Poster: Vaping ECHO for Education Model to Address Adolescent E-Cigarette Use in Middle and High School: A Restorative Justice Approach(March 2024)

About Kansas Health Institute

The Kansas Health Institute supports effective policymaking through nonpartisan research, education and engagement. KHI believes evidence-based information, objective analysis and civil dialogue enable policy leaders to be champions for a healthier Kansas. Established in 1995 with a multiyear grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, KHI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization based in Topeka.

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