Recognition of Online E-cigarette Marketing and E-cigarette-Related Attitudes and Behaviors Among Young Adults

Introduction:
This text summarizes a research study examining the relationship between recognition of online e-cigarette marketing and e-cigarette-related attitudes and behaviors among young adults in California. The study used a non-probability representative sample of young adults and presented them with image-based and audiovisual online e-cigarette marketing stimuli. The researchers then assessed recognition of the marketing stimuli and positive e-cigarette-related attitudes and behaviors.

Key Points:

* The study found that recognition of online e-cigarette marketing was associated with greater odds of reporting positive e-cigarette-related attitudes and behavioral intentions, including appeal and benefits of e-cigarettes, purchase intentions, and lifetime e-cigarette use among all participants, and susceptibility to use e-cigarettes among never users.
* The study also found a dose-response relationship between the number of recognized online e-cigarette marketing stimuli and positive e-cigarette-related attitudes and behaviors.
* Participants who recognized image-based stimuli had greater odds of reporting positive e-cigarette-related attitudes and behavioral intentions than those who did not recognize any stimuli.
* Participants who recognized audiovisual stimuli had greater odds of reporting positive e-cigarette-related attitudes and behavioral intentions than those who did not recognize any stimuli.
* The study controlled for gender identity, race/ethnicity, age, past 30-day substance use, past 30-day exposure to offline e-cigarette marketing, and social media use.
* The study used a non-probability representative sample of young adults living in California.
* The study used a cross-sectional design and could not determine a causal relationship between exposure to online e-cigarette marketing and e-cigarette-related attitudes and behaviors.

Main Message:
The study highlights the potential impact of recognition of online e-cigarette marketing on e-cigarette-related attitudes and behaviors among young adults. The findings suggest that recognition of online e-cigarette marketing may lead to positive e-cigarette-related attitudes and behavioral intentions, especially among never users. The study also emphasizes the need for future research to examine the causal relationships between the associations found in this study and the importance of developing and evaluating psychometrically valid measures of online e-cigarette marketing exposures. The results may inform restrictions of e-cigarette marketing in the online environment and the need for tobacco-related digital media literacy training for young adults.

Scott I Donaldson, Trista A Beard, Julia C Chen-Sankey, Ollie Ganz, Olivia A Wackowski, Jon-Patrick Allem, Recognition of Online E-cigarette Marketing and E-cigarette-Related Attitudes and Behaviors Among Young Adults, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Volume 27, Issue 1, January 2025, Pages 73–79, https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntae167