USC Faculty Receive $20 Million Grant to Study Tobacco Marketing Impact on Youth

Strategic Insights -

The State of California has awarded a $20 million grant to University of Southern California (USC) faculty members Adam Leventhal, PhD and Caryn Lerman, PhD, to study the impact of tobacco and e-cigarette marketing on young people. The USC Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS), an interdisciplinary initiative, will lead the research effort, focusing on protecting youth from the influence of social media marketing by the tobacco industry. This grant continues the center's work through 2028, expanding its portfolio to examine the effects of non-traditional tobacco products on adolescents and young adults.

Key Takeaways:

  • The $20 million grant, provided jointly by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), will fund research to inform government regulations on tobacco marketing, particularly targeting youth.
  • The USC TCORS center, launched in 2013 with FDA and NIH support, will continue through 2028, with this new grant expanding its focus to include non-traditional tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and flavored nicotine products.
  • The center's research aims to provide rigorous evidence guiding FDA action on a fast-changing landscape of tobacco product offerings and trends among youth.
  • The study will examine how exposure to nicotine and other chemicals in e-cigarettes may interfere with brain development, and how evidence-based regulation can have long-lasting health benefits for young people.
  • USC TCORS will study the impact of e-cigarettes and oral nicotine products on young people, including factors such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status.
  • The research will consider how marketing approaches, social media influences, and product characteristics contribute to the appeal of these products to youth.

Statistics:

  • $20 million: the amount of the grant awarded to USC faculty members Adam Leventhal and Caryn Lerman for tobacco marketing and youth research.
  • 2013: the year the USC TCORS center was launched with FDA and NIH support.
  • 2018: the year the center was renewed.
  • 2028: the end year of the current grant period, with potential for continuation.
  • 7: the number of programs nationwide that received funding from the FDA and NCI for tobacco marketing and youth research.
  • 8 years: the duration of the current grant period, continuing research through 2028.

Sources:

  • "USC Tobacco Center Receives $20 Million Grant to Study Impact of E-Cigarettes and Tobacco on Youth."
  • University of Southern California website, .
  • University of Southern California News Releases, .
  • Leventhal, A., et al. "Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS) Annual Report." USC Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science, 2020.