From UF/IFAS
Every year, hundreds of thousands of kids and young adults take their first puff of an e-cigarette – oblivious that this small choice could lead to a lifetime of tobacco addiction. University of Florida researchers are working to change that by using artificial intelligence to pinpoint which young people are most at risk before they ever start.
Related: Want to quit vaping this year? Here’s what the evidence shows so far about effective strategies.
The PreventiGators, a team of graduate students and their faculty mentors from the University of Florida’s Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, recently earned national recognition for their use of AI to address tobacco use risk. Their analysis of 3,950 youth and emerging adults used machine learning via UF’s supercomputer, HiPerGator, to predict which U.S. youth might be most vulnerable to becoming tobacco users in adulthood by examining individual behaviors, community influences, and digital environments—including social media use—to predict future behavior.
Photo courtesy of UF/IFAS
The team found that teens who spend more time on their phones — especially on social media — and who are exposed to tobacco ads or believe tobacco relieves stress are more likely to use tobacco later in life.
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, including deaths due to secondhand smoke, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2022, 49.2 million – or nearly 1 in 5 – adults said they used tobacco products.
With the rise of vaping, young adults are more at risk for early exposure to tobacco. According to the CDC, 1 in 10 young adults ages 18 to 20 used electronic cigarettes, and about 1 in 6 adults ages 21 to 24 used them, based on a 2023 analysis.
But not all teens are equally vulnerable. Kids who have strong anti-tobacco beliefs or who don’t live with anyone who smokes are less at risk.
“Our goal is to stop tobacco use before it starts,” said Olanrewaju Lawal, a Ph.D. student and team member. “By identifying risk early — especially among youth with no prior tobacco use — we can design smarter, more targeted prevention strategies that protect young people and reflect the digital realities they are navigating today during a critical stage of their development when lifelong health behaviors are being shaped.”
This level of precision would be nearly impossible using traditional statistical methods, said Xiaoya Zhang, family, youth, and community sciences assistant professor.
“AI allows us to capture the complexity of real life,” Zhang said. “It helps us understand not just who is at risk, but how — and what we can do about it before it’s too late.”
These prevention-focused researchers hope their analysis, which they hope to publish in a peer-reviewed journal soon, will help create better strategies to protect youth from the long-term effects of tobacco use.
“Tobacco use among youth always ebbs and flows,” said Tennisha Riley, family, youth, and community sciences assistant professor. “But prevention science is about staying ahead of those trends. If we can prevent youth from starting in the first place, we don’t have to deal with the devastating consequences later.”
The PreventiGators project was selected as the winner of the annual Society for Prevention Research’s Sloboda and Bukoski SPR Cup, a mark of excellence in prevention science research.
“This win reflects the growing strength of our academic programs and our commitment to using science and technology to solve real problems,” Riley said. “We’re proud to be training the next generation of prevention scientists here at UF.”
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human, and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries and all Florida residents.
For more details, go to ifas.ufl.edu.
ABOUT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AT UF
The University of Florida is making artificial intelligence the centerpiece of a major, long-term initiative that combines world-class research infrastructure, cutting-edge research, and a transformational approach to curriculum. UF is committed to building the nation’s first AI University by offering artificial intelligence courses to all students in its 16 colleges through our AI Across the Curriculum program. Our faculty and students can analyze vast amounts of data that can impact our country’s biggest challenges with HiPerGator, the most powerful, university-owned supercomputer in the nation.
For more details, go to ai.ufl.edu.
