E-liquid-related posts to Twitter in 2018: Thematic analysis

Introduction:
This text summarizes a study examining conversations about e-liquids on Twitter in 2018. The study aimed to describe the public's recent experiences with e-liquids and identify common topics of conversation. Understanding these topics can inform surveillance and regulatory efforts related to e-liquids.

Key points:

* The study analyzed Twitter posts containing e-liquid-related terms from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018.
* After removing non-English tweets, retweets, and tweets from accounts identified as social bots, the final analytic sample included 15,927 tweets from 4590 unique users.
* Six common topics were identified, including Promotional, Flavors, Person Tagging, Cannabis, Juice Composition, and Nicotine Health Risks.
* The most prevalent topic was Promotional at 29.35%, followed by Flavors at 24.22%, and Person Tagging at 21.47%.
* Juice Composition and Flavors had the most overlap at 9.51%.
* The study highlights the potential influence of social media on the uptake of e-cigarette-related products among non-smokers and youth, as well as the need for regulatory restrictions and counter messaging campaigns.
* Findings support FDA's recent announcement about the need to regulate the sale of flavored e-liquids and e-cigarette products.

Main message:
The study's findings suggest that conversations about e-liquids on Twitter in 2018 focused on promotions, social experiences, flavors, cannabis, health risks of nicotine, and liquid composition. These topics warrant consideration as targets in future surveillance, public policy, and interventions addressing the use of e-liquids. The study also emphasizes the need for regulations and counter messaging campaigns to restrict and mitigate the influence of social media on the uptake of e-cigarette-related products among non-smokers and youth.

Allem, Jon-Patrick, Anuja Majmundar, Likhit Dharmapuri, Tess Boley Cruz, and Jennifer B. Unger. “E-Liquid-Related Posts to Twitter in 2018: Thematic Analysis.” Addictive Behaviors Reports 10 (December 2019): 100196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2019.100196.