What is the purpose of PACE Vermont Study?

The purpose of the PACE Vermont Study is to understand the impact of state-level policies and communication campaigns on substance use beliefs and behaviors in young Vermonters aged 12-25 years old.

What would I do in the PACE VT Study?

If you take part in the study, you will be asked to complete online surveys four times over two years. Each survey will take about 10-15 minutes to complete. The survey includes questions about tobacco, alcohol, cannabis & other drugs, substance policies and laws, and prevention campaigns. You may skip any questions that you do not wish to answer.

How will I be notified when to complete the survey?

All study ads and links will direct participants to the study’s website, where there will be a brief study description and link to an open online screener, to confirm eligibility.

Upon valid completion of this brief interest survey, participants will automatically receive a unique link to the screener survey to assess eligibility by e-mail or text message, depending on their preference. The addition of this step will ensure valid contact information for participants. Potentially eligible participants will then be asked to provide consent to participate in the study, at which point they will be given a short consent quiz to ensure understanding of study procedures.

Please note our team may email you at the email address you provided with a request for an e-mail response to verify information provided. Should we not be able to reach you or verify your information, you will be excluded from the study.

Is there a benefit to participating in the PACE VT Study?

There are no direct benefits to you for taking part in this research. You will be contributing to knowledge to inform substance use prevention efforts for youth and young adults and better understand how to recruit and retain youth and young adults for future surveys.

Are there any risks I face by participating?

Breach of confidentiality is a risk of harm. There is also a possibility that there could be a data breach. A data security plan is in place to minimize such a risk. Also, some questions may make you feel uncomfortable. If that happens, you can skip those questions or withdraw from the study altogether.

Our plan for protecting participants’ privacy and confidentiality recognizes that the protection of privacy in studies involving sensitive behavioral data is paramount. There are several procedures in place to minimize susceptibility to undue influences and unnecessary risk in youth and young adult participants.

First, for youth, there is a two-step process for study participation that requires parental/guardian consent, followed by child assent. Youth who are not interested in participating are not required to do so and no information about a child’s participation is relayed to the parent or guardian who provided consent.

Second, many of the items included in the surveys were taken directly from existing national studies (i.e., Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health, Monitoring the Future) to align with accepted ways of asking about tobacco use in young people.

Third, many of the survey items include “don’t know” response options or can be skipped entirely, and fourth, participants can discontinue the survey at any time.

Fifth, online data collection and a longer time window for survey completion may provide greater privacy than school-based studies in completing these assessments. Together,these safeguards ensure that youth and young adult participants are not exposed to risk beyond what they would experience in other large surveys of risk behavior.

Are there any costs associated with participating?

You may incur costs related to receiving the surveys or survey reminders by text message.

Will I be compensated for participating in the PACE VT Study?

You will receive electronic gift cards for participating in this research: one for each completed survey (Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026), plus a bonus gift card for completing all four surveys (Spring 2026).

Will anyone know my survey responses or personal information?

We will do everything we can to make sure that any private information about you is kept private, but total confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

We will use Qualtrics to collect and forward your survey responses to us. Your name and information from the screener survey (birthdate, state, county and town of residence, email address, IP address, and phone number), as well as the email address you will be asked to provide at the end of the current survey, will be encrypted and stored in a secured location, separately from your survey responses. Participants receive a unique random identifier which is the only key linking personally identifiable information with survey data. Your e-mail address and name are shared with our online gift card vendor (BHN Rewards/Blackhawk Networks, Inc) to make it possible to pay you; BHN Rewards/Blackhawk Networks, Inc will retain your e-mail address for a longer period in accordance with financial regulations. Personally identifiable data is only accessible to Dr. Villanti and selected research staff for the purposes of managing study participants. This is done so that others will not know which responses are yours.

The research team may use or share your information collected or created for this study with the following people and institutions, as required:

• The Rutgers University Institutional Review Board and Compliance Boards
• The Office for Human Research Protections in the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services

Participant contact information will be maintained for five years after the end of the study for the purpose of future waves of this study. Once data collection is complete, however, the link between your identity and your study data will be destroyed. This means that no one will be able to know which data are yours. No information that can identify you will appear in any professional presentation or publication.

Please note that communication via e-mail and text messages is neither private nor secure. Though we are taking precautions to protect privacy, you should be aware that information sent through e-mail or via text could be read by a third party.

To help us protect your privacy, this research is covered by a Certificate of Confidentiality from the National Institutes of Health. This means that the researchers cannot release or use information, documents, or samples that may identify you in any action or suit unless you say it is okay. They also cannot provide them as evidence unless you have agreed. This protection includes federal, state, or local civil, criminal, administrative, legislative, or other proceedings. An example would be a court subpoena.

There are some important things that you need to know. The Certificate DOES NOT stop reporting that federal, state or local laws require, such as laws that require reporting of child or elder abuse, some communicable diseases, and threats to harm yourself or others. The Certificate CANNOT BE USED to stop a sponsoring United States federal or state government agency from checking records or evaluating programs. The Certificate DOES NOT stop disclosures required by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Certificate also DOES NOT prevent your information from being used for other research if allowed by federal regulations.

Researchers may release information about you when you say it is okay. For example, you may give them permission to release information to insurers, medical providers or any other persons not connected with the research. The Certificate of Confidentiality does not stop you from willingly releasing information about your involvement in this research. It also does not prevent you from having access to your own information.

Do I have to take the survey?

You don’t have to take part in this study if you don’t want to. No one will get angry or upset if you do not want to be in the study. Just tell us. And remember, you can change your mind later if you decide you don’t want to be in the study anymore.

You may choose not to take part in this study, or if you decide to take part now, you can change your mind later and withdraw from the study by contacting the study team. You can choose not to answer a question by clicking next to skip to the next question. You may also withdraw your consent for use of data you submit, but you must do this in writing to the PI: Andrea Villanti.

Please note that after data collection for this study is complete, we will not be able to know which survey responses are yours, because the link to your name will have been destroyed. Data will be de-identified and anonymous to the investigators and no personal information will be released.

How do I access my gift card?

You will receive an e-mail from our gift card vendor, BHN Rewards/Blackhawk Networks, Inc, to obtain your gift card. Follow the directions in the e-mail to select a gift card and to redeem it.

What gift cards are available?

Participants will get to choose a gift card from a number of possible options, including Amazon, Starbucks, Target, iTunes, and GooglePlay.

What if I have a question that is not answered here?

If you have questions about taking part in this study, you can contact the Research Team at pace.vermont@ints.rutgers.edu. You can also contact the Principal Investigator: Andrea Villanti, PhD, MPH, Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy, Rutgers School of Public Health, Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies at andrea.villanti@rutgers.edu.

If you have questions, concerns, problems, information or input about the research or would like to know your rights as a research participant, you can contact the Rutgers IRB/Human Research Protection Program via phone at (973) 972-3608 or (732) 235-9806 OR via email irboffice@research.rutgers.edu, or you can write us at 335 George Street, Liberty Plaza Suite 3200, New Brunswick, NJ 08901.