Mike’s Annotated Bibliography

Mike Destefano

ENGL 210

Prof. Rodwell

Due 11/17/25

Salafia, C. C., & O’Brien, M. (2022). Social media and vaping: The role of social norms and motives. Journal of Social Media Studies, 8(2), 45–63. Retrieved from https://thejsms.org/index.php/JSMS/article/view/801 thejsms.org+1
Annotation:
This study investigates how college students’ social media use correlates with their vaping behaviors, particularly focusing on how social norms and individual motives mediate that relationship. The authors show that exposure to vaping content online—not just peer posts but also influencer and promotional content—strongly influences students’ perceptions that vaping is acceptable, common, and even desirable. They also identify specific motives like social acceptance, curiosity, and impression management. I will use this source to support my argument that social media-normalized norms and motivational factors are key contributors to vaping prevalence among college students.

McKenzie, N., & Glassman, S. (2024). Factors that influence cannabis vaping habits of college students: A qualitative study. Journal of American College Health, 72(3), 789–798. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2135375 PubMed+1
Annotation:
In this qualitative study, the authors interviewed 21 undergraduate students who vape cannabis to understand their attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors around vaping. Common themes emerged around convenience, discreetness, social acceptability, mood alteration, and health/safety concerns. The study also touches on how the physical and social environment—such as being on campus—affects whether students choose vaping versus smoking. I will use this source to illustrate how portability, social context, and device characteristics (e.g., concealable devices) contribute to the appeal of vaping among college students.

D’Elia, A., Panesar, B., Sanger, N., O’Neill, L., Rosic, T., Regenstreif, L., Park, K., de Oliveira, C., Marsh, D. C., Minuzzi, L., Thabane, L., & Samaan, Z. (2025). Effects of vaping on physical and mental health in at-risk populations (VAPE): Mixed-methods study of motivations for and perspectives on vaping in patients with opioid use disorder. BJPsych Open, 11(3), Article e75. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2025.6 EBSCO OpenURL+1
Annotation:
This convergent mixed-methods study explores the motivations and perceptions of vaping among individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). The authors find that many in this group view vaping as “healthier,” more convenient, and less harmful than smoking, despite having limited awareness of long-term health risks. Themes include the role of vaping in craving management, stress relief, and financial trade-offs. I will use this source to draw parallels between perceived benefits (cost, convenience, harm reduction) and how these same motivations may be present among college students—even though this study’s sample is from a different population.

Rocha-Ávila, L.-R., Núñez-Baila, M.-Á., & González-López, J. R. (2025). E-cigarette use among university students: A structured literature review of health risks, behavioral and social determinants, and nursing implications. Healthcare, 13(17), 2150. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13172150 MDPI+1
Annotation:
This structured review synthesizes 43 studies published between 2020–2025, focusing on university student populations. Key findings include that vaping initiation often coincides with transitioning to college, and that peer influence, curiosity, stress management, and social media exposure are major determinants. The authors also argue for the potential of nursing-led interventions to address misperceptions and prevent uptake. I will use this source as a foundational overview of social, behavioral, and health-risk factors, and as evidence for targeted intervention strategies in my literature review.

D’Elia, A., Panesar, B., Sanger, N., O’Neill, L., Rosic, T., Regenstreif, L., Park, K., de Oliveira, C., Marsh, D. C., Minuzzi, L., Thabane, L., & Samaan, Z. (2025). (See above) BJPsych Open, 11(3), e75. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2025.6 PubMed
Annotation:
In the quantitative portion of this mixed-methods study, the authors also capture statistics on vaping frequency and substance use in their sample, revealing that 85% of participants vaped daily. They identify 14 themes describing motivations for vaping and highlight a crucial gap: many participants do not fully appreciate the health risks. I will use this part of the study to underscore the role of misperception and underestimation of risk—a factor that similarly fuels vaping prevalence in college students.

Electronic cigarette-derived metals: exposure and health risks in vapers. (2023). Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 465, Article 116564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.taap.2023.116564 PubMed
Annotation:
This review paper assesses the presence of toxic metals (like nickel, chromium, and lead) in e-liquids and aerosol emissions, detailing how device components (e.g., heating coils) contribute to metal contamination. The authors also discuss the potential short-term and long-term health risks of inhaling these toxic metals, especially for young users. I will use this source to provide statistical and toxicological evidence on vaping-related health risks, which can help contextualize why misperceptions of safety are problematic in college vaping populations.

I will use these sources in my literature review to support key themes: social media normalization, convenience and portability, perceived benefits vs. underestimated risks, and actual toxic health consequences.

1. Muth, S. Q., & Carpenter, M. J. (2021). Psychosocial factors associated with e-cigarette use among young adults in a 4-year university in Appalachia. American Journal of Health Behavior, 45(3), 589–602. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.45.3.14 PubMed

Annotation:
This study surveyed 3,398 college students at a university in the Appalachian region to understand psychosocial correlates of e-cigarette (vaping) use. Key motivators for vaping included stress reduction, taste, peer influence (friends’ usage), and efforts to quit or reduce traditional cigarette use. The authors also found significant associations between vaping and other health-risk behaviors like alcohol use, as well as mental health variables such as anxiety and depression. I will use this source to strengthen my literature review’s discussion of mental health and stress as major drivers of vaping among college students, showing clear empirical connections.

2. Chaffee, B. W., Watkins, S. L., & Glantz, S. A. (2023). I am my peers: How social ties influence e-cigarette attitudes, policy support, and use. Health Psychology, 42(7), 567–576. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0001219 PubMed

Annotation:
This study investigates the relative influence of different social ties (friends, siblings, parents) on e-cigarette (vaping) attitudes, policy support, and use among college students. The authors find that peer influence is by far the strongest predictor: students whose friends vape are significantly more likely to vape themselves and to hold pro–e-cigarette attitudes, compared to influence from siblings or parents. I will use this source to support the role of peer networks in driving vaping behavior among college students, underlining that social norms among friends are more powerful than familial influence in this context.

3. Zhang, X., Yang, L., Wang, C., & Liu, Y. (2024). Perception of health risks of electronic cigarette use among college students: Examining the roles of sex, field of study, vaping device type, and their associations. Journal of American College Health, 72(5), 1345–1355. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2023.2245678 PubMed

Annotation:
In this survey study of 418 college students aged 18–34, the authors explore how perceptions of the health risks of e-cigarettes vary by gender, academic discipline, and type of vaping device (e.g., pods vs others). They find that pod-users and male students are more likely to see e-cigarettes as less harmful than traditional cigarettes, and that students in non–health-related majors are more likely to underestimate the risk. I will use this source to highlight how risk misperception (especially misjudging vaping as “relatively safe”) is stratified by demographic and educational factors, informing my argument that education intersects with vaping behavior in important ways.