Improving Enforcement Measures And Establishing Clear Criteria: A Content Analysis Of Tobacco-Brand-Owned Instagram Accounts.

INTRODUCTION: This study examines limitations of the current regulatory framework for tobacco advertising on Instagram. We first investigate compliance with FDA warning label requirements for posts by tobacco-owned accounts. Next, we examine the prevalence of content that has been restricted in broadcast or print for its youth appeal, followed by content meeting more expansive criteria for youth appeal set forth in the FDA's guidance document. METHODS: Posts by tobacco-brand-owned accounts between January 1, 2021, and February 14, 2022, were sampled from Mintel's Comperemedia Omni database. Instagram posts from 15 accounts were examined for violations of FDA warning label requirements and content that has been restricted on other mediums, including cartoons, sports branding, unauthorized claims, and young models (N=1243). Finally, a subsample of n=453 unambiguously branded posts was coded for themes that met the FDA's criteria of resonating with younger audiences, particularly that "adolescents rely on external information as they seek to shape their own identities". RESULTS: Only 12.8% of posts had fully compliant warning labels. Content that has been in some way regulated on other mediums, such as cartoons (1.6%), unauthorized health claims (<1%), sports branding (<1%), and young models (4.4%) were infrequent. However, a conservative analysis focusing only on branded posts found that posts frequently highlighted tech elements (45%), device customizability (24.5%), vaper identity (17.7%), stylized product photography (33.6%), social media engagement (32.2%) and memes (5.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Enforcement of existing regulations on Instagram is minimal. Explicit content restrictions applying evidence-based guidance on youth-appealing advertising are needed. IMPLICATIONS: This research has important implications for enforcing and expanding advertising regulations on social media. First, Instagram's self-imposed regulations are ineffective, permitting tobacco companies to post ads from brand-owned accounts despite claiming to restrict tobacco promotion on the platform. Second, policymakers should seek to apply FDA guidance on youth-appealing advertising informed by decades of research to create explicit enforceable content restrictions that extend beyond cartoons, sports figures, and young models to include content likely to situate tobacco use within the developing self-concept of vulnerable youth such as presenting e-cigarettes as hi-tech devices, highlighting vaper identity, or infiltrating online social media culture. Finally, greater resources for enforcement are needed given the only applicable regulation, warning labels, remains largely ignored.

Long-term drought promotes invasive species by reducing wildfire severity.

Anthropogenic climate change has increased the frequency of drought, wildfire, and invasions of non-native species. Although high-severity fires linked to drought can inhibit recovery of native vegetation in forested ecosystems, it remains unclear how drought impacts the recovery of other plant communities following wildfire. We leveraged an existing rainfall manipulation experiment to test the hypothesis that reduced precipitation, fuel load, and fire severity convert plant community composition from native shrubs to invasive grasses in a Southern California coastal sage scrub system. We measured community composition before and after the 2020 Silverado wildfire in plots with three rainfall treatments. Drought reduced fuel load and vegetation cover, which reduced fire severity. Native shrubs had greater prefire cover in added water plots compared to reduced water plots. Native cover was lower and invasive cover was higher in postfire reduced water plots compared to postfire added and ambient water plots. Our results demonstrate the importance of fuel load on fire severity and plant community composition on an ecosystem scale. Management should focus on reducing fire frequency and removing invasive species to maintain the resilience of coastal sage scrub communities facing drought. In these communities, controlled burns are not recommended as they promote invasive plants.

Content analysis of tobacco imagery in popular music Videos, 2018-2021.

Exposure to tobacco imagery in movies and television has been identified as a key factor to youth smoking initiation (Davis, 2008; Bennett et al., 2020). This study aims to investigate the prevalence of tobacco imagery in popular music videos from 2018 to 2021. The weekly top 10 songs of 2018-2021 were identified using Billboard Charts categories (Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop, Country, Rock & Alternative, Dance/Electronic, Pop Airplay). Content analyses of the top music videos using the Thumbs up Thumbs Down methodology were conducted to identify tobacco depictions on screen. The sample consisted of 1,008 music videos across four years; 196 of which contained tobacco imagery (19.4%). Between 2018 and 2021, the proportion of videos with tobacco imagery ranged between 12.8% and 23.0% of the total year sample. Tobacco incidences almost doubled from 280 occurrences in 2018 to 522 occurrences in 2020, but decreased by over half to 290 occurrences in 2021. Tobacco incidences varied by year and genre, with Hot 100 being the top offending genre in 2018 with 40.0% of videos containing tobacco imagery while Hot R&B/Hip-Hop was the top offending genre from 2019 to 2021 (52.7%, 52.5%, and 23.9% respectively). Cigarettes were most pervasive in 2019 (70.1% of total tobacco incidences), 2020 (45.6%), and 2021 (64.1%) music videos. Pipes were the most pervasive product in 2018 music videos (39.6%). Given the reach and frequency of exposure to music videos among young people, reducing tobacco imagery in popular music videos may prevent tobacco use among young people.

Perceptions of and Experiences With Cigarette and E-Cigarette Use Among a Diverse Population of US Latino Adolescents and Young Adults.

PURPOSE: To determine potential unique factors influencing cigarette and e-cigarette use in US Latino youth. APPROACH: We conducted a qualitative study assessing cigarette and e-cigarette perceptions and experiences, including experiences with/perceptions of the products, cultural influences and influences of friends and family. SETTING: Four online discussion boards, conducted in October 2020. PARTICIPANTS: 92 Latino youth aged 15-21 years living in the US. METHOD: Data from the discussion groups were coded and analyzed by three trained coders using a thematic analysis approach. RESULTS: Stress relief emerged as the dominant theme connected with both cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Apart from stress, perceptions of and experiences with the products differed. E-cigarettes were commonly viewed as trendy and cool and participants often reported using them due to curiosity and popularity. Participants commonly compared e-cigarettes to cigarettes, noting benefits of e-cigarettes. Participants also noted more negative short and long-term health effects of cigarette use, and discussed generational differences between the two products. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study help address a dearth of research examining tobacco use among diverse groups of Latino youth. Findings indicate that despite differences in country of heritage, Latino youth are united by similar opinions about cigarettes and e-cigarettes. Additionally, they share cultural values and experiences which could be leveraged for tobacco control communications that cut across populations of Latino youth.

Early evidence of the associations between an anti-e-cigarette mass media campaign and e-cigarette knowledge and attitudes: results from a cross-sectional study of youth and young adults.

OBJECTIVE: Antismoking mass media campaigns have contributed to significant declines in combustible tobacco use among young people. This study evaluates a national anti-e-cigarette campaign to determine its association with knowledge, attitudes and beliefs in the context of increasing e-cigarette use in the USA. METHODS: A national sample of respondents aged 15-24 years (n=8421) was drawn from a repeated cross-sectional online panel survey (220 participants/week) (October 2018 to December 2019). Self-reported exposure to the truth anti-e-cigarette campaign was measured according to level of ad awareness. Outcomes were subjective knowledge of campaign-targeted facts about e-cigarettes and attitudinal constructs about perceived e-cigarette harm, social unacceptability and anti-industry sentiments. Covariates included respondent demographics, current e-cigarette use and cigarette use, parental smoking, sensation seeking, mental health and growth in e-cigarette sales. RESULTS: Ad awareness was associated with knowledge that e-cigarette users are more likely to start smoking (low OR: 1.28, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.44; high OR: 1.88, 95% CI 1.66 to 2.13) and of the nicotine content of JUUL compared with cigarettes (low OR: 1.63, 95% CI 1.45 to 1.82; high OR: 2.50, 95% CI 2.21 to 2.84). High ad awareness was associated with knowledge that the long-term health effects of JUUL use are unknown (OR: 1.88, 95% CI 1.57 to 2.28). High ad awareness was associated with significantly higher perceived product harm (OR: 1.35, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.54), social unacceptability (OR: 1.32, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.53) and anti-industry attitudes (OR: 1.40, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.62), compared with respondents with no awareness. CONCLUSIONS: Young people with awareness of anti-e-cigarette ads demonstrate higher levels of campaign-targeted knowledge, attitudes and beliefs. Future campaign evaluation priorities include measuring the campaign effects on e-cigarette use behaviours.

Nicotine pouch marketing strategies in the USA: an analysis of Zyn, On! and Velo.

INTRODUCTION: Nicotine pouches are gaining popularity, yet their marketing is understudied. METHODS: Using Numerator advertising data from January 2019 to September 2021 regarding three popular brands of nicotine pouch in the USA-Zyn (by Swedish Match, introduced in the USA in July 2016), On! (Altria, August 2016) and Velo (RJ Reynolds, July 2019)-we examined (1) general advertising characteristics (eg, media type, year); (2) ad content (ie, headlines and imagery themes); (3) prominent media channels (ie, specific websites, magazines, etc); and (4) ad expenditures. RESULTS: There were 286 unique ads (Zyn: 44.4%; On!: 2.8%; Velo: 52.8%), 119 143 occurrences (Zyn: 3.5%; On!: 0.5%; Velo: 96.0%) and $24 774 650 total expenditures (Zyn: 4.7%; On!: 0.6%; Velo: 94.7%). The greatest proportion of ad occurrences and expenditures were accounted for by radio (75.9% and 28.2%, respectively) and television (16.2% and 56.5%), followed by mobile (0.5% and 7.2%) and online display (6.7% and 3.6%). Across ad occurrences and expenditures, prominent headline themes included 'freedom' (26.0% and 17.1%, respectively), 'brand' (9.6% and 18.6%) and 'flavour' (16.4% and 7.6%); images mainly featured the product alone (61.4% and 56.1%), text (16.2% and 24.6%) or men (8.7% and 8.6%); and prominent channel themes were entertainment (34.7% and 37.3%), news/weather (14.3% and 21.7%), business/finance (12.9% and 9.0%) and sports (9.5% and 1.0%). Zyn and On! prioritised online display and print; Velo prioritised radio and television. Zyn's and Velo's headlines focused on 'freedom', with Zyn also emphasising 'brand' and Velo 'innovation'; On!'s headlines emphasised 'flavour'. CONCLUSIONS: Regulatory efforts must be informed by surveillance of nicotine pouch marketing and impacts on consumer subgroups (eg, young people).

Developing the Message Assessment Scale for Tobacco Prevention Campaigns: Cross-sectional Validation Study.

BACKGROUND: Mass media campaigns are effective for influencing a broad range of health behaviors. Prior to launching a campaign, developers often conduct ad testing to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of the message executions among the campaign's target audience. This process allows for changes to be made to ads, making them more relevant to or better received by the target audience before they are finalized. To assess the effectiveness of an ad's message and execution, campaign ads are often rated using a single item or multiple items on a scale, and scores are calculated. Endorsement of a 6-item perceived message effectiveness (PME) scale, defined as the practice of using a target audience's evaluative ratings to inform message selection, is one approach commonly used to select messages for antitobacco campaigns; however, the 6-item PME scale often does not produce enough specificity to make important decisions on ad optimization. In addition, the PME scale is typically used with adult populations for smoking cessation messages. OBJECTIVE: This study includes the development of the Message Assessment Scale, a new tobacco prevention message testing scale for youth and young adults. METHODS: Data were derived from numerous cross-sectional surveys designed to test the relevance and potential efficacy of antitobacco truth campaign ads. Participants aged 15-24 years (N=6108) responded to a set of 12 core attitudinal items, including relevance (both personal and cultural) as well as comprehension of the ad's main message. RESULTS: Analyses were completed in two phases. In phase I, mean scores were calculated for each of the 12 attitudinal items by ad type, with higher scores indicating more endorsement of the item. Next, all items were submitted to exploratory factor analysis. A four-factor model fit was revealed and verified with confirmatory factor analysis, resulting in the following constructs: personally relevant, culturally relevant, the strength of messaging, and negative attributes. In phase II, ads were categorized by performance (high/medium/low), and constructs identified in phase I were correlated with key campaign outcomes (ie, main fact agreement and likelihood to vape). Phase II confirmed that the four constructs identified in phase I were all significantly correlated with main fact agreement and vape intentions. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study advance the field by establishing an expanded set of validated items to comprehensively assess the potential effectiveness of advertising executions. This set of items expands the portfolio of ad testing measures for ads focused on tobacco use prevention. Findings can inform how best to optimize ad executions and message delivery for health behavior campaigns, particularly those focused on tobacco use prevention among youth and young adult populations.

Evidence of the impact of a national anti-tobacco prevention campaign across demographic subgroups.

Mass media campaigns are an effective population-level intervention for preventing tobacco use. However, little evidence exists for whether these campaigns similarly influence demographic subgroups. This study examined the effects of the truth® campaign to reduce tobacco use among demographic subgroups. We used data from a national, continuous, cross-sectional tracking survey of 15-24-year-olds (n = 32 331). We used a measure of weekly aggregated campaign exposure to assess whether cigarette smoking intentions and current cigarette use varied by race/ethnicity, financial situation and population density subgroups, controlling for factors known to be associated with tobacco use. Examining estimates across subgroup categories in light of the overall model estimates revealed that the effects of week-level campaign exposure on cigarette smoking intentions and current cigarette use were similar across subgroups. Wald tests of equality across estimates in each subgroup suggested that the estimates did not differ from one another in any given instance. The truth campaign does not differ significantly in its capacity to prompt declines in tobacco use across a broad spectrum of US youth and young adults. Mass media tobacco prevention campaigns can be an effective and critical component of a comprehensive tobacco control program, particularly with respect to reducing tobacco-related disparities among demographic subgroups.

Identifying message themes to prevent e-cigarette use among youth and young adults.

In 2020, almost 20% of high school students reported current e-cigarette use. Mass media tobacco prevention campaigns are effective for preventing tobacco use among youth and young adults but selecting messages that will have maximum impact on the target audience is a significant challenge for campaign developers. This study describes the method for identification of potential messaging targets for a national anti-vape mass media campaign using criteria proposed by Hornik and Woolf in their health communication framework. A national sample of 15- to 24-year-olds (N = 1564) was recruited via an online panel in May 2020. Participants endorsed a series of vape-related attitudinal items. Items were considered potential message targets if they distinguished between the four vape use groups (current users, ever users, susceptible never-users, and non-susceptible never-users) and if less than 70% of respondents endorsed the anti-vape item response. The resulting items targeted five potential message themes, each forming a scale measured with three to four individual items. Message themes included social acceptability of vaping, anti-vape industry sentiment, independence from vaping, non-vaping identity, and perceived risk of harm. Findings were used to inform the development of truth® campaign messaging focused on reducing the prevalence of e-cigarette use among youth and young adults.

Effects of branded health messages on e-cigarette attitudes, intentions, and behaviors: a longitudinal study among youth and young adults.

BACKGROUND: Launched in 2000, the truth campaign was one of the first health-related campaigns to embrace the building of a brand to further amplify its message, such as by building brand equity. Brand equity is an asset that represents the audience's perception of the brand. Previous research supports that strong brand equity is associated with lower tobacco intentions and behaviors; however, brand equity and its change over time have not been studied as it relates to e-cigarettes. This study examines the effects of change in brand equity on e-cigarette attitudes, intentions, and behaviors among youth and young adults. METHODS: The sample (N = 6427) is from the Truth Longitudinal Cohort, a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort of youth and young adults, ages 15-24. Variables include brand equity tobacco scale, demographic characteristics, and e-cigarette use status. The outcomes included anti-e-cigarette attitudes, intentions to use e-cigarettes, and use of e-cigarettes. Multiple and logistic regression models determined the relationship between change in brand equity from respondents at Spring 2018 to Spring 2019 and respondent e-cigarette outcomes at Fall 2019. All models controlled for demographic characteristics and cigarette use. RESULTS: Mean brand equity scores in Spring 2018 were significantly associated with greater anti-e-cigarette attitudes (ß = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.15, 0.19), lower odds of intention to use (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.66, 0.85), and lower odds of current use (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.72, 0.92). Change in brand equity from Spring 2018 to Spring 2019 was significantly associated with greater anti-e-cigarette attitudes (ß = 0.09, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.11) and lower odds of intention to use (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.67, 0.93), but not associated with current use behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Strengthening brand equity is an effective strategy for influencing anti-e-cigarette related attitudes and intentions, much like it is for anti-smoking campaigns. More research needs to be done on the relationship between change in brand equity and e-cigarette behavior to better understand how brand equity can be wielded to influence change in e-cigarette use behavior.

Educating Young Adults about Opioid Misuse: Evidence from a Mass Media Intervention.

The US opioid epidemic is a serious public health problem. Rates of opioid misuse and dependence are highest for young adults ages 18-25. Prevention strategies that reduce prescription opioid misuse while decreasing stigma around dependence and treatment are critical components of addressing the epidemic. The Truth About Opioids, a mass media public education campaign, was designed to prevent opioid misuse and dependence among young adults. This study examined the intervention's effectiveness to shift opioid-related knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs within targeted designated market areas (DMAs) over time. A sample of young adults (N = 1434) in DMAs with varying levels of media exposure was surveyed at baseline (June-September 2019) and post-intervention (July-August 2020). Logistic regression assessed associations between campaign awareness and campaign-targeted knowledge and attitudes, controlling for baseline variables. Those with any awareness had significantly higher odds of campaign-targeted opioid-related knowledge (versus no awareness) (low awareness OR = 1.52 (95% CI: 1.04, 2.24); high awareness OR = 2.47 (95% CI: 1.58, 3.87)). Those with campaign awareness were also more likely to report lower levels of opioid-related stigma and higher intentions to share information and talk to a friend about the epidemic. Mass media public education campaigns can help influence young adults' opioid-related knowledge and attitudes.

Prospective associations between nicotine beliefs and tobacco-related susceptibility, curiosity, and use in U.S. adults.

Low harm perceptions of tobacco products have been associated with use of those products in youth and adults, but this relationship has not been assessed for nicotine beliefs. This study used data from a national sample of adults aged 18-40 in Wave 9 (Spring 2016) of the Truth Initiative Young Adult Cohort Study to examine correlations and prospective associations between the latent classes of nicotine beliefs and susceptibility, curiosity, and use of tobacco products in 3122 adults who also completed Wave 10 (Fall 2016). At Wave 9, four latent classes of beliefs characterized the role of nicotine in the health risks of smoking: Class 1, large role, 51%; Class 2, large role/don't know, 9.4%; Class 3, small role in health, 32.5%; and Class 4, none/small role in cancer, 7.5%. Latent classes of nicotine beliefs were highly correlated with susceptibility and curiosity to use cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and hookah, as well as past 30-day use of a range of tobacco products at Wave 9 among never users. Classes 3 and 4 had the highest prevalence of past 30-day tobacco use; never users in these classes reported the greatest susceptibility to try cigarettes, hookah, and e-cigarettes at Wave 9. Class 4 had higher odds of increased e-cigarettes use at follow-up compared to Class 1. There were few prospective associations between nicotine beliefs latent class, susceptibility, and curiosity at Wave 10. Nicotine beliefs are associated with tobacco-related outcomes and, if assessed, may provide novel information to guide tobacco prevention and intervention efforts.

Exposure to tobacco content in episodic programs and tobacco and E-cigarette initiation.

While prior research suggests a relationship between exposure to tobacco content in movies and smoking, less is known about the impact of exposure to tobacco through episodic programs. This study assessed the relationship between exposure to tobacco content in programs on Netflix and broadcast or cable TV and initiation of combustible tobacco or e-cigarette use among young people. A nationally representative, longitudinal sample (ages 15-21 at baseline) was surveyed about exposure to episodic programs previously analyzed for the presence of tobacco and subsequent use of combustible tobacco and e-cigarettes. Logistic regression models assessed associations between exposure to tobacco imagery and future initiation of combustible tobacco and e-cigarettes among those who were nicotine naïve (N = 4604). Data were collected in February-May 2018 and February-May 2019. All analyses were conducted in 2019. Results suggest a dose-response relationship between exposure to tobacco and vaping initiation, whereby the higher the exposure, the greater the odds of subsequent initiation (OR(low) = 2.19, 95%CI = 1.38-3.48; OR(medium) = 2.20, 95%CI = 1.34-3.64; OR(high) = 3.17, 95%CI = 1.71-5.88). There was no significant association between exposure to tobacco imagery and smoking initiation. Tobacco imagery is common in episodic programming popular among young people. Results suggest exposure to tobacco in episodic programs may impact future e-cigarette use. Ongoing monitoring of the impact of tobacco content in episodic programs is needed as the number of available programs continues to increase. Findings highlight the need for policy and advocacy efforts to reduce young people's exposure to tobacco content across all media platforms.

Early Evidence of an Opioid Education Campaign: A Case Study of Rhode Island.

CONTEXT: The opioid crisis poses a significant burden at a national level, and certain states have seen particularly high rates of misuse, addiction, and overdose. In 2017, Rhode Island reported opioid-related deaths nearly twice the national average. OBJECTIVE: To test message efficacy and evaluate the effectiveness of campaign messaging to shift attitudes/beliefs related to opioid misuse in Rhode Island. DESIGN: In phase 1, near-final versions of 6 advertisements were shown to a sample of the target audience via an online survey portal to assess responses to the messages (N = 1210). Phase 2 of the study employed a pre/posttest design whereby 2 cross-sectional surveys were conducted, first prior to the campaign launch (N = 456) and another survey 6 months later in Rhode Island (N = 433). SETTING: Phase 1 was conducted online using a nationally representative panel, and phase 2 included a convenience sample of participants in Rhode Island recruited to undergo an online survey. PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen- to 29-year-old members of a nationally representative online panel (phase 1) and 15- to 34-year-olds living in the state of Rhode Island during data collection periods. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Empathy and destigmatization ("someone like me could become addicted..." and "those who are dependent on prescription opioids are victims") and perceived risk of developing dependence on opioids. RESULTS: In both phases, there was an increase in empathy ("someone") (phase 1: pretest [31%], posttest [42%; z = 5.5, P < .0001] and phase 2 [34% baseline vs 41% follow-up; z = 2.0, P = .04]) and destigmatization ("victims") (phase 1: pretest [54%], posttest [58%; z = 2.2, P = .01] and phase 2 [46% baseline vs 54% follow-up; z = 2.2, P = .03]). There was also an increase in perceived risk: phase 1 (pretest [65%], posttest [75%; z = 5.4, P < .0001]) and phase 2 (66% baseline vs 74% follow-up; z = 2.5, P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the potential efficacy of a media campaign to shift young adults' opioid-related attitudes.

Using Aggregate Temporal Variation in Ad Awareness to Assess the Effects of the truth® Campaign on Youth and Young Adult Smoking Behavior.

Mass media campaigns are one of the most effective population-level interventions for the prevention of tobacco use. However, accurately evaluating the effectiveness of these campaigns presents several challenges, particularly as campaign delivery becomes increasingly fractured across media platforms. There are a number of weaknesses associated with traditional, individual-level measures of campaign exposure in an increasingly socially networked, digital media ecosystem. This study evaluated the national truth® campaign using a novel method to measure campaign exposure through an aggregate weekly exogenous measure of awareness. We generated this exogenous measure from a continuous, cross-sectional tracking survey to predict intentions to smoke and current tobacco use among youth in the United States. Results from multi-level models indicated that weeks with aggregate campaign awareness greater than 65% were associated with lower odds of current tobacco use. We conclude with a discussion of implications and practical considerations for using this method for media campaign evaluation.

Perceptions of Use Patterns and Health Consequences Associated With Mentholated Cigarettes Among U.S. Adults.

Despite declines in overall cigarette smoking in the United States, menthol cigarette smoking prevalence has increased among young adults (18-25 years) and remains constant among older adults (26 years and older). Disparities in menthol cigarette use exist, with higher prevalence among younger adult smokers and among racial/ethnic minority populations. Menthol in cigarettes has been shown to play a role in increasing smoking initiation and making it more difficult to quit smoking. Little research focuses on perceptions of the addictive potential and health consequences of menthol cigarette use. This analysis uses data from a national panel of U.S. adults (n = 1,303) surveyed in 2016. Participants were asked to what extent they agreed with various statements regarding menthol use among demographic and tobacco use subgroups. These data reveal disparities in perceptions of the impact of menthol use, with Black, non-Hispanic, and Hispanic adults and adults with lower income and less education misperceiving the health effects and addiction potential of menthol in cigarettes. Determining how and to what extent population subgroups understand the effect of menthol cigarette use can inform public education strategies and, in turn, policy efforts to ban or restrict menthol cigarette availability.

Content analysis of tobacco in episodic programming popular among youth and young adults.

BACKGROUND: While evidence exists supporting a causal relationship between exposure to tobacco content in movies and youth smoking, research is limited on the prevalence and impact of tobacco content in episodic programming aired on television (TV) and online streaming platforms. The purpose of this study was to analyse episodic programming popular among young people to estimate the prevalence of tobacco imagery. METHODS: An online survey of participants aged 15-24 years (n=750) recruited from an existing panel was used to gauge viewership of episodic programming aired on Netflix, broadcast TV and cable TV. Two trained coders independently watched the entire 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 seasons of 14 programmes aired on a streaming platform, Netflix, and across broadcast and cable TV. The coding scheme was based on existing methods which involve documenting both the type of tobacco product featured and, if applicable, user information. RESULTS: Eighty-six per cent of Netflix programmes and 86% of broadcast and cable TV programmes had at least one occurrence of tobacco. Netflix programmes had more total occurrences (n=1185) compared with the broadcast or cable programmes (n=482). Most of the tobacco occurrences included cigarettes being actively used by a character. CONCLUSIONS: Given the high prevalence of tobacco use found in these entertainment channels, the level of exposure to tobacco use among youth and young adults is very concerning and is serving to circumvent the restrictions of tobacco advertising on broadcast TV. Further research is needed to understand the influence of this exposure on smoking behaviour.

Latent Classes of Nicotine Beliefs Correlate with Perceived Susceptibility and Severity of Nicotine and Tobacco Products in US young adults.

BACKGROUND: Pervasive misperceptions about nicotine may influence uptake of quit smoking aids and the impact of policies addressing nicotine as a tobacco product constituent. METHODS: Latent class analyses were conducted using four items on nicotine beliefs asked of 4037 adults aged 18-40 in wave 9 (February-March 2016) of the Truth Initiative Young Adult Cohort Study. Confirmatory factor analyses identified three factors from 12 items: nicotine susceptibility (NSUS), nicotine severity (NSEV), and tobacco severity (TSEV). Analyses assessed correlations between latent classes, sociodemographics, and nicotine/tobacco factor scores. RESULTS: A four-class model of nicotine beliefs was the best fit, with the largest class believing that nicotine plays a major part in smoking risks (class 1, n = 2070; 52%). Class 2 shared that belief but also responded "Don't know" to addiction questions (class 2, n = 382; 11%). Fewer belonged in class 3, who reported that nicotine plays a small part in health risks (n = 1277; 30%), and class 4, who perceived nicotine as not cancer causing (n = 308; 7%). Latent class membership was correlated with sociodemographics, peer smoking, and past 30-day tobacco use. Classes 1 and 2 had similar NSUS scores and classes 3 and 4 had similar NSEV and TSEV scores. DISCUSSION: Differences in the perceptions of nicotine and tobacco-related harms can be partially explained by clustering of underlying nicotine beliefs. These classes of beliefs are correlated with sociodemographic predictors of smoking. These findings may help to identify specific beliefs or groups to be targeted by public education efforts on nicotine. IMPLICATIONS: The current study supports that underlying nicotine beliefs are associated with perceived harms of specific nicotine and tobacco products (relative to cigarettes), with greater false beliefs about nicotine correlated with greater perceived susceptibility to nicotine addiction. Two important inferences emerge from this study: first, that education to address nicotine beliefs may also reframe perceptions of the harms of nicotine and tobacco products; and second, that this type of education may differentially impact perceptions of the harms of nicotine products (e.g., nicotine replacement therapy and e-cigarettes) and tobacco products (e.g., cigars, smokeless, and hookah).

Cost-Effectiveness of Using Mass Media to Prevent Tobacco Use among Youth and Young Adults: The FinishIt Campaign.

Mass media campaigns have been hailed as some of the most effective tobacco prevention interventions. This study examined the cost-effectiveness of the national tobacco prevention campaign, truth® FinishIt, to determine the cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) saved and the return on investment (ROI). The cost-utility analysis used four main parameters: program costs, number of smoking careers averted, treatment costs, and number of QALYs saved whenever a smoking career is averted. Parameters were varied to characterize cost-effectiveness under different assumptions (base case, conservative, optimistic, and most optimistic). The ROI estimate compared campaign expenditures to the cost saved due to the campaign implementation. Analyses were conducted in 2019. The base case analysis indicated the campaign results in a societal cost savings of $3.072 billion. Under the most conservative assumptions, estimates indicated the campaign was highly cost-effective at $1076 per QALY saved. The overall ROI estimate was $174 ($144 in costs to smokers, $24 in costs to the smoker's family, and $7 in costs to society) in cost savings for every $1 spent on the campaign. In all analyses, the FinishIt campaign was found to reach or exceed the threshold levels of cost savings or cost-effectiveness, with a positive ROI. These findings point to the value of this important investment in the health of the younger generation.