Effects of e-Cigarette Advertisements on Adolescents’ Perceptions of Cigarettes

Introduction:
This article examines the impact of e-cigarette advertisements on adolescents' perceptions of cigarettes. The study focuses on "cigalike" advertisements, which are often compared to traditional cigarettes in terms of health, financial, or social consequences. The study aims to determine how adolescents' responses differ depending on their previous experience with smoking cigarettes.

Key Points:

* The study utilized a nationally representative sample of adolescents aged 13-17 years old, randomly assigned to watch e-cigarette or control advertisements.
* The results showed that never-smokers who saw the e-cigarette advertisements reported significantly lower perceived risks of smoking than those in the control condition.
* Ever-smokers did not show significant differences across the conditions, but current smokers in the e-cigarette condition reported significantly lower perceived benefits of smoking than those in the control condition.
* The study found that e-cigarette advertisements can affect adolescents' perceptions of cigarettes, and the effects differ by smoking status.
* The study also found that adolescents may be confused about the product being advertised, which could contribute to the observed effects.
* The number of current smokers in the study was small, and future studies should over-sample this group to better understand their responses.
* The study highlights the need to regulate e-cigarette advertisements to minimize adolescents' exposure and potential harmful effects on never-smokers.

Main Message:
The study underscores the importance of regulating e-cigarette advertisements to protect adolescents from potential harmful effects. Exposure to e-cigarette advertisements can affect adolescents' risk perception of smoking cigarettes, which is a significant predictor of smoking initiation. Therefore, it is crucial to minimize adolescents' exposure to e-cigarette advertisements and ensure that the messages conveyed in these advertisements do not promote smoking behavior.

Kim, Minji, Lucy Popova, Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, and Pamela M. Ling. “Effects of E-Cigarette Advertisements on Adolescents’ Perceptions of Cigarettes.” Health Communication 34, no. 3 (February 23, 2019): 290–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2017.1407230.