Vital Signs : Exposure to Electronic Cigarette Advertising Among Middle School and High School Students — United States, 2014

Introduction:
This text is a summary of a study on the exposure of middle and high school students in the US to electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) advertisements. The study is based on data from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey and examines exposure to e-cigarette advertisements from four sources: retail stores, the Internet, TV and movies, and newspapers and magazines. The study aims to estimate the prevalence of e-cigarette advertisement exposure among U.S. middle school and high school students.

Key Points:

* The study found that 68.9% of middle and high school students (18.3 million) were exposed to e-cigarette advertisements from at least one source.
* Exposure was highest for retail stores (52.8% for middle school students and 56.3% for high school students), followed by the Internet (35.8% for middle school students and 42.9% for high school students).
* Exposure from TV and movies was higher among black and Hispanic students than white students.
* Female students were more likely to be exposed to e-cigarette advertisements on the Internet than male students.
* Approximately 15% of students were exposed to e-cigarette advertisements from all four sources.
* Exposure to e-cigarette advertisements might contribute to increased use of e-cigarettes among youths.
* Multiple approaches are warranted to reduce youth e-cigarette use and exposure to e-cigarette advertisements, including efforts to reduce youth access to settings where tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes, are sold, and regulation of youth-oriented e-cigarette marketing.

Main Message:
The study highlights the high levels of exposure of middle and high school students in the US to e-cigarette advertisements, which might be contributing to increasing youth experimentation with and use of e-cigarettes in recent years. The study emphasizes the need for comprehensive efforts to reduce youth exposure to e-cigarette marketing and the importance of fully funded and sustained comprehensive state tobacco control programs to reduce all forms of tobacco use among youths, including e-cigarette use.

Singh, Tushar, Kristy Marynak, René A. Arrazola, Shanna Cox, Italia V. Rolle, and Brian A. King. “Vital Signs : Exposure to Electronic Cigarette Advertising Among Middle School and High School Students — United States, 2014.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 64, no. 52 (January 8, 2016): 1403–8. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6452a3.