Assignment 9A- Testing the Hypothesis Part 2

Kyla, 19, college student:

            Kyla explained that although she does not JUUL or use any tobacco products she knows a lot of other students and even has friends that do use them. When I asked about her family history of smokers, she said that no one in her immediate family smokes but her   grandma used to but had a heart attack so she stopped. When I asked her why doesn’t use any of these tobacco products that have become popular she said that it’s because she knows how much they can harm your body and seeing the effects of her grandmother smoking for years has influenced her a lot as well. When asked about the federal minimum age being changed she said she doesn’t really care but thinks it will be good for a lot of the younger kids who are in high school and try to use these products. I also asked her if her friends have encouraged her to ty these tobacco products and she said they have multiple times but she has been adamant about not smoking.

Jessica, 21, college student

            Jessica explained that she does not use any JUUL like products because not only would her parents disapprove but also because it’s her own personal decision. She said that  she was interested in these products for a bit but after trying a JUUL she quickly realized  it wasn’t for her. She also mentioned that she’s heard of people being hospitalized because of how much they use these products. She also said that she has some friends that use these JUUL-like products but they mostly only use them when going out not throughout the day. Jessica also talked about her family history and no one in her family smokes but her mom is a cardiologist and that played a big role in her deciding not to smoke.           

Matt19, college student

            Matt is in a fraternity here and he said that although a lot of his brother JUUL or use        other similar products he has just never been interested in trying them especially after      hearing of how they can affect your health. When I asked about his family history he       said that no one in his family smokes but his parents constantly drilled in his mind how harmful tobacco products are. I asked him how he hasn’t succumbed to peer pressure because I know it is very common for people in fraternities and sororities to use these     products and he explained that tis just personal preference. Matt said that he has never been interested in these products or felt a need for them so he has continued to stay away from them. I asked him if this change in the minimum age has affected any of his brothers smoking habits and he said that now many of the younger ones just ask the older guys to buy pods or whatever they need.

Brandon, 19, college student

            Brandon is also in a fraternity and explained that the use of tobacco products like JUULs is very common among not just his fraternity but a lot of the ones on campus. He mentioned that he’s even noticed that some of his brothers went from using these          products just at bars or clubs to using them during the day. I asked him if he thinks that     any of his brothers in his fraternity are addicted and he said that he definitely thinks          there’s a few that are. Because of the environment that he’s in I asked how he has           maintained not using any of these tobacco products and he simply said he doesn’t want to smoke. That and he said he tried a JUUL once and really hated it.          

Sean,18, college student

            Sean explained that he has never used a tobacco containing product but does have a few friends that JUUL occasionally or when they go out. When I asked if he has ever had  a interest in trying it he said that he has never felt the need to use a JUUL or anything      similar because they remind him of cigarettes. I asked about his family history and he      said that no one smokes but he has just always found cigarettes nasty and been told to  stay away from tobacco and nicotine products. I asked him if he thinks the JUUL is the     equivalent of a cigarette and he said yes just without the smell but still not a good product. Sean also said that he heard somewhere that smoking one JUUL pod is the             equivalent of a pack of cigarettes so knowing that has deterred him too.

After speaking with these five people who do not need an immediate need for my opportunity, I did realize that many of them have friends or family who they think might find this opportunity useful or don’t realize they have this need yet. A common thing mentioned by all five people was that they either had friends or family that smoked which played a huge role in whether they did use vape products or not. Although people like the ones I interviewed may not recognize nor have a need for this product I still think there is a window of opportunity here to use them as a pathway to get to those in their immediate circle who do use vape products. Another major key that I noticed here is health. Speaking with these people who are not in need of this opportunity showed me that they are very health conscious.

Inside the boundary	Outside the boundary
Who is in: ·      High school/college students ·      Students in fraternities/sororities ·	Who is out: ·      Those with family history of health effect b/c of smoking ·
What the Need is: ·      Healthy alternative ·      Nicotine-free products ·      All natural	What the Need is not: ·      Similar vape product ·      A supplement
Why the Need exists: ·      Tobacco products causing health problems ·      Kids becoming addicted	Alternative Explanations: ·      No interest in smoking ·      Health conscious