Abstract
Historically, the tobacco industry has marketed directly to minority groups, which is associated with increased product use; the advent of e-cigarettes poses a new risk. The purpose of this study is to examine associations between exposure to tobacco marketing via traditional and digital marketing channels and ever use of e-cigarettes among Mexican-American young adults. Ninety-two Mexican-American young adults between 18 and 29 years of age (61% female) were recruited from the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort, a well-characterized population-based cohort on the U.S.– Mexico border. Participants reported their use of e-cigarettes and exposure to pro- and anti-media messages about these products in traditional and digital venues. Nearly one third reported ever using e-cigarettes and exposure to media overall was low. However, exposure to pro e-cigarette messages via digital sources was associated with increased odds of ever using e-cigarettes (OR: 2.86; 95% CI: 1.11–7.38). Results suggest that regulations on e-cigarette digital media may help to reduce e-cigarette use.
Highlights
The tobacco industry has marketed directly to minority groups, which is associated with increased product use; the advent of e-cigarettes poses a new risk
Previous studies have found a positive association between exposure to marketing and e-cigarette use among youth (Mantey, Cooper, Clendennen, Pasch, & Perry, 2016; Singh et al, 2016); there is limited information on this relationship among young adults and, in particular, those of Mexican heritage
The results from this study demonstrate an association between pro-e-cigarette marketing via the internet and Facebook and e-cigarette use among Mexican Americans aged 18–29 years
Summary
The tobacco industry has marketed directly to minority groups, which is associated with increased product use; the advent of e-cigarettes poses a new risk. E-cigarette companies use company websites, retailer websites, and social media sites like Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram to reach the rapidly growing Hispanic, Mexican heritage population This pilot study examined whether exposure to pro-tobacco internet advertising influenced e-cigarette use among a group of Mexican-American young adults (18–29 years old). Both awareness and use of e-cigarettes among U.S adults has increased over time (King, Patel, Nguyen, & Dube, 2014), with young adults aged 18–24 years reporting the highest prevalence rates of e-cigarette use among all age groups (Schoenborn & Gindi, 2015). Despite recent studies demonstrating that exposure to e-cigarette advertising elicits favorable attitudes toward the product (Pokhrel et al, 2016) and increases interest in trying an e-cigarette in the future (Farrelly et al.,2015), the current level of federal regulations enables e-cigarette manufacturers to market their products by and through any means, as well as target and sell to all populations, including minors and minority groups
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