Elsevier

Journal of Adolescent Health

Volume 61, Issue 3, September 2017, Pages 371-377
Journal of Adolescent Health

Original article
Exposure and Engagement With Tobacco- and E-Cigarette–Related Social Media

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.04.003Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose

Little is known about the nature and extent of adolescents' exposure to tobacco- and e-cigarette–related communications on social media. In this study, we describe the prevalence and correlates of youth exposure and engagement with tobacco- and e-cigarette–related social media.

Methods

Data are from the baseline survey of the Texas Adolescent Tobacco and Marketing Surveillance system, a cross-sectional sample of sixth, eighth, and 10th graders (n = 3907, N = 461,097). Weighted logistic regression models were used to examine associations between demographic characteristics, sensation seeking, tobacco use, and exposure and engagement with tobacco-related social media.

Results

Overall, 52.5% of students reported exposure to tobacco-related social media in the past month, whereas < 6% reported engagement. Exposure and some forms of engagement were more common among high school students, girls, those with friends who use tobacco, and high sensation seekers (p < .05). The odds of exposure were significantly higher among students susceptible to combustible tobacco (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.71, p < .05), e-cigarettes (AOR = 2.10, p < .01), and both combustible tobacco and e-cigarettes (AOR = 2.24, p < .001). The odds of engaging with social media was higher among those who were susceptible to, had ever, or currently use both combustible tobacco and e-cigarettes (AOR = 2.10–3.46, p < .05).

Conclusions

About 1 in every 2 adolescents in Texas are exposed to tobacco-related social media. Adolescents who are susceptible to or use e-cigarettes and/or combustible tobacco are exposed to and engage with tobacco-related social media more than their peers. Social media appears to be an important venue when targeting vulnerable youth in prevention campaigns.

Section snippets

Study design and participants

The current study was a cross-sectional analysis of the baseline survey of the Texas Adolescent Tobacco and Marketing Surveillance System (TATAMS). TATAMS is a 3-year longitudinal study that measures use of tobacco products and exposure to marketing of tobacco products in Texas adolescents every 6 months. TATAMS was reviewed and approved by the University of Texas School of Public Health Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (HSC-SPH-13-0377) and by local school district review

Results

The majority of respondents had never used combustible tobacco or e-cigarettes (75.8%) and had not used combustible tobacco or e-cigarettes in the past month (89.8%). However, over one third of the sample reported being susceptible to combustible tobacco or e-cigarettes (34.1%) (Table 1).

Discussion

Our results suggest that over half of all middle and high school students are exposed to tobacco- or e-cigarette–related social media. Girls, high school students, high sensation seekers, and students with friends who use tobacco were the most likely to report exposure to tobacco- or e-cigarette–related social media, as well as the most likely to report writing, responding, or reblogging tobacco-related posts. In multivariate models, those who were susceptible to e-cigarettes, combustible

Acknowledgments

E.H. is a postdoctoral fellow at the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center (OTRC). The OTRC is supported by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET). All individuals who contributed significantly to the work are listed as authors. A presentation based on this article was presented at the 2016 Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Annual Meeting.

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    Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

    Disclaimer: The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of OTRC or TSET.

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