Effects of exposure to negative and positive social media content about vaping and nicotine addiction on beliefs and intentions to use e-cigarettes among young adults in the United States: results from a randomized controlled experiment.
Kristy L Marynak, Joanna E Cohen, Johannes Thrul et al.
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In 30 seconds
This randomized controlled experiment assigned 1,816 young adults in the United States to view real, publicly accessible social media videos presenting nicotine addiction positively, negatively, or in unrelated control content. After adjustment for tobacco use and sociodemographic characteristics, participants exposed to positive-valence content had higher odds of intending to vape than controls (adjusted odds ratio 1.49, 95% CI = 1.08 to 2.04, P = .014); intentions to smoke did not differ. Negative-valence content was associated with greater intentions to quit smoking, but not vaping, and higher estimates of peer vaping prevalence.
Key findings
- Positive-valence video exposure was associated with higher odds of intending to vape than control exposure (1.49, 95% CI = 1.08 to 2.04, P = .014).
- Negative-valence exposure was associated with greater intentions to quit smoking (β = 1.36, 95% CI = 0.38 to 2.34, P = .007), but not to quit vaping.
- Participants viewing negative-valence content estimated higher peer vaping prevalence than controls (β = 3.26, 95% CI = 0.33 to 6.19, P = .029).
- Injunctive normative beliefs did not differ significantly between exposure groups.
Why it matters
The experiment suggests that the valence of noncommercial social media content about nicotine addiction can shape young adults’ vaping intentions and some beliefs about peers. This is relevant because online content may present vaping in contrasting ways, and brief exposure was associated with different outcomes depending on its framing. The findings add evidence for considering social media environments in efforts to understand young adults’ tobacco-related beliefs and intentions.
What to keep in mind
The study assessed responses to brief video exposure and reported intentions and beliefs; the abstract does not establish effects on subsequent vaping behavior.