Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS): new evidence from the State and Community Tobacco Control Research Initiative

This supplement to Tobacco Control is the product of the State and Community Tobacco Control Research Initiative (SCTC), which consists of seven research projects and a coordinating centre funded through cooperative agreements with the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute (NCI). Research conducted by Initiative members addresses important, understudied aspects of state and community tobacco control policy and media interventions in four areas: secondhand smoke policies; tobacco tax and pricing policies; community and individual behaviour related to tobacco advertising, and mass media actions to counter tobacco advertising; and tobacco industry practices. The Initiative has five interdependent components: ▸ Multiyear Research Projects, each with several specific aims centred on Initiative-relevant topics. ▸ Short-term Collaborative Developmental Projects, formed as collaborations among research projects and tobacco control partners to address emerging state and community research needs, and provide opportunities for novel pilot research. ▸ Working Groups, enabling collaboration among SCTC investigators and relevant partner individuals and organisations to address high-priority gaps in research and practice. ▸ The NCI, which, in addition to funding the Initiative, contributes to the scientific direction, and evaluates the Initiative process and short-term impact. ▸ A Coordinating Centre, which serves as an Initiative-wide resource to foster communication and collaboration among components and outside partners, participates in working groups and Initiative evaluation efforts, and facilitates the packaging and dissemination of Initiative research findings. A full description of the SCTC Initiative is available at (http:// sctcresearch.org/PublicHome). One common objective shared by Initiative components is to conduct research and disseminate findings on topics of high relevance for a wide array of audiences, including: tobacco control programmes; public health practitioners; researchers; and federal, state, and local policy makers. Initiative members engage in strategic partnerships with state and local tobacco control programmes and other voluntary health, advocacy and public health organisations. These partnerships help to assure the relevance of Initiative research, and facilitate rapid adoption of research findings into tobacco control policies and practices. In 2013, the SCTC steering committee determined that priority audiences share an urgent need for high-quality, relevant research to inform state and community policies and practices related to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and related electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). Collective SCTC research and dissemination resources and capabilities, guided by close partnerships with the tobacco control community, uniquely positions the