Vaping or the use of e-cigarettes has been gaining in popularity especially among youths. Given that youths participate in vaping for various reasons including it being viewed as a less harmful alternative to smoking, previous anti-smoking or smoking cessation campaigns are unlikely to be effective. To design more targeted campaigns against vaping, a research team has explored the perceptions and experiences of US Latino youths who used or did not use e-cigarettes. The researchers found that apart from stress relief, the youths were also motivated to use e- cigarettes because of their perceived trendiness, fun, and accessibility. Read the following journal article for more information about the study. You may access the article via SUSS Library. Alonso, F., Rath, J., Ramrez, A. S., Cantrell, J., Jordan, A., Suarez, S., & Moran, M. B. (2023). Perceptions of and experiences with cigarette and e-cigarette use among a diverse population of US Latino adolescents and young adults. American Journal of Health Promotion. https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171221151125

Analyse and critique the study in the journal article above. You are required to apply relevant concepts and information from the course materials, given journal article, and additional research to answer the following questions.

(a) In the context of the given study, explain why it is important to use social science research methods to find out more about the perceptions and experiences of youths on vaping and smoking, rather than non-research methods such as hearsay. (10 marks)

(b) With the context of the given study in mind, recognise and appreciate the relevant ethical issues with respect to the Belmont Report. Specifically, explain each principle in the Belmont Report and discuss what the researchers did (or could have done) to address the ethical issue(s) that you have identified. (30 marks)

(c) The researchers of the given study had used a qualitative approach to find out more about vaping and smoking among US Latino youths. Instead of using a qualitative approach, should they have conducted a quantitative study on 500 US Latino youths instead? Using the context of the given study, examine TWO reasons to justify your answer. Note: Assume that a triangulation approach is not feasible. (30 marks)

(d) Suppose researchers in Singapore propose to conduct a quantitative, cross-sectional study to find out if stress causes youths in Singapore to vape illegally. Participants (15 to 35 years old) will be required to do a online survey and provide their mobile number in their response. To measure stress levels, participants will be required to answer this survey question:

On a scale of 1 (not unhappy at all) to 5 (extremely unhappy), how unhappy are you about school or work?

Using information provided in Question (d), discuss TWO factors that could affect the internal validity of this proposed study in Singapore. (30 marks)