When we talk about being evidence-based at OurFutures, we’re not just talking about any type of evidence. We’re talking about top-tier, gold-standard evidence that backs all of our programs through randomised controlled trials (RCTs), such as the trial behind OurFutures Vaping Prevention program. This is the largest trial of a school-based eHealth intervention to prevent e-cigarette use worldwide, and the first of its kind in Australia. Published in The Lancet Public Health on 29th July, 2025 by researchers at The Matilda Centre, the most recent paper from the Vaping trial contains data from the 12-month follow-up. (Hint: it’s good news!).
Find the full paper here, or read on for a summary.
The OurFutures Vaping eHealth intervention to prevent e-cigarette use among adolescent students in Australia: A cluster randomised controlled trial
Method:
- Two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) – read about what an RCT is here.
- Conducted with >5000 Year 7 and 8 students in 40 secondary schools across New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland.
- Schools were randomly assigned (1:1) to OurFutures Vaping (a four-lesson, web-based skills and education programme) or an active control group (health education as usual)
- Primary outcome: past 12-month e-cigarette use, assessed at the 12-month follow-up.
Findings:
From January – October 2023, 40 schools with 5157 eligible students completed the baseline survey in the intervention (OurFutures Vaping) and control (health education as usual) groups.
Compared to the control group, participants who received the intervention had:
- reduced odds of past 12-month e-cigarette use
- and higher e-cigarette and tobacco knowledge scores
one year after receiving the intervention.
The most impactful finding was that students who completed the OurFutures Vaping program were 65% less likely to vape compared to those who didn’t do the program.
These results show that the OurFutures Vaping program offers an efficacious and scalable demand-reduction approach to prevent e-cigarette use among adolescents.
Research context: Evidence before this study
A previously published review of literature and meta-analysis by the researchers at The Matilda Centre evaluating e-cigarette prevention interventions found no evidence that existing school-based interventions prevented e-cigarette use at long-term follow-up (6 – 36-months post-intervention). The review highlighted mixed findings – some interventions prevented or reduced e-cigarette use, while others increased it. The two randomised trials in the literature review showed positive effects, but overall evidence quality was low to moderate, highlighting the need for more rigorous research to develop and evaluate school-based e-cigarette preventive interventions.
And so, that’s where this trial comes in.
Outcomes:
The primary outcome was past 12-month e-cigarette use at 12-month follow-up. This was based on two questions: whether participants had ever tried vaping (even just one or two puffs), and when they last vaped. Secondary outcomes were current e-cigarette use (past 30-day use); knowledge about e-cigarettes and tobacco.
At 12-month follow-up:
- Compared to baseline, e-cigarette use had slightly increased in the group that didn’t receive the program; however, it decreased among students who did.
- Specifically, students who completed the OurFutures Vaping program were 65% less likely to vape compared to those who didn’t do the program.
This result remained robust even after sensitivity analyses, highlighting the impact and effect of the program.
Secondary outcomes:
- Students who took part in the Vaping program consistently scored higher on e-cigarette and tobacco-related knowledge than students in the control group at all follow-ups (immediately after the program, at 6 months, and at 12 months). These knowledge gains were strong and consistent, even when researchers accounted for missing data using advanced sensitivity methods.
- While there was evidence of a reduction in the odds of current e-cigarette use at 12-month follow-up, similar to the effect observed for past 12-month e-cigarette use, this did not reach conventional levels of statistical significance.
Overall, the results are aligned with the harm-minimisation approach to prevention, adopted in Australia since 1985, where the aim is to both delay onset and reduce use.
The OurFutures Prevention Model
The results of this study are consistent with previous trials of the OurFutures prevention model, which has shown success in reducing alcohol, cannabis, and MDMA use among young people. The OurFutures model for drug prevention utilises a comprehensive social influence approach, which is a well-supported, evidence-based prevention approach that builds students’ skills to resist social influences around substance use.
One key strength of OurFutures is its online (eHealth) delivery, which helps schools overcome common barriers such as limited time and resources, a lack of teacher training/support, and program modifications. The eHealth format also makes the program more accessible, engaging for students, and scalable to more schools. High levels of positive feedback from both teachers and students support this claim, and more.
Why does it work?
The strength of the OurFutures Vaping program lies in its:
- Rigorous evidence-based approach
- Implementation flexibility
- Co-design with students
- Engaging delivery
- Ready-made resources with minimal preparation requirements for teachers
It’s built on what works already
The program is based on the OurFutures prevention model, which has a proven, long-term track record of success in reducing alcohol, cannabis, and MDMA, and new psychoactive substance use in young people, as well as increasing knowledge, improving attitudes, and slowing the progression of mental ill-health symptoms. Read more on this here. The social influence approach helps students build practical skills to resist peer pressure and make informed decisions, which has been shown to be effective across multiple studies.
Students helped design it
OurFutures Vaping was co designed with students, ensuring the content is relatable, relevant, and authentic. This makes the learning experience more engaging, effective, and relevant to real-life situations teens face. It provides genuine peer-to-peer learning rather than adult-imposed messaging.
It’s digital and easy to deliver
With ready-made resources requiring minimal preparation from teachers, our programs reduce rather than increase teacher burden. The online format makes it easy for schools to implement across diverse timetabling structures, while also boosting student engagement and allowing the program to be rolled out consistently across different school contexts.
See below what teachers and students are saying about the program:
In conclusion, the OurFutures Vaping program was significantly more effective than usual health education in reducing past 12-month e-cigarette use and improving knowledge related to e-cigarettes and tobacco over 12-months.
School-based interventions can prevent adolescent e-cigarette use, but not all interventions are created equal. It is crucial that schools are supported to identify and adopt programs that are grounded in high-quality evidence. The OurFutures Vaping program is an evidence-based, efficacious and scalable program that holds the potential to make global health impact.
OurFutures Vaping Prevention program is now available at no cost to schools nationwide under Australian Federal Government funding.
Register your school here.
Author: Francesca Wallis.
With expert review by researchers at the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use.
