Influence of Flavors on the Propagation of E-Cigarette-Related Information: Social Media Study.

Jiaqi Zhou,Kwok Leung Tsui,Daniel Dajun Zeng,Qingpeng Zhang

doi:10.2196/publichealth.7998

Abstract

BackgroundModeling the influence of e-cigarette flavors on information propagation could provide quantitative policy decision support concerning smoking initiation and contagion, as well as e-cigarette regulations.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to characterize the influence of flavors on e-cigarette–related information propagation on social media.MethodsWe collected a comprehensive dataset of e-cigarette–related discussions from public Pages on Facebook. We identified 11 categories of flavors based on commonly used categorizations. Each post’s frequency of being shared served as a proxy measure of information propagation. We evaluated a set of regression models and chose the hurdle negative binomial model to characterize the influence of different flavors and nonflavor control variables on e-cigarette–related information propagation.ResultsWe found that 5 flavors (sweet, dessert & bakery, fruits, herbs & spices, and tobacco) had significantly negative influences on e-cigarette–related information propagation, indicating the users’ tendency not to share posts related to these flavors. We did not find a positive significance of any flavors, which is contradictory to previous research. In addition, we found that a set of nonflavor–related factors were associated with information propagation.ConclusionsMentions of flavors in posts did not enhance the popularity of e-cigarette–related information. Certain flavors could even have reduced the popularity of information, indicating users’ lack of interest in flavors. Promoting e-cigarette–related information with mention of flavors is not an effective marketing approach. This study implies the potential concern of users about flavorings and suggests a need to regulate the use of flavorings in e-cigarettes.

Highlights

The electronic cigarette, commonly known as an e-cigarette or electronic nicotine delivery system, is a method of delivering vaporized nicotine instead of combusting tobaccos
Mentions of flavors in posts did not enhance the popularity of e-cigarette–related information
We evaluated a set of regression models for count data to characterize the influence of flavors on e-cigarette–related information propagation

Summary

Introduction

The electronic cigarette, commonly known as an e-cigarette or electronic nicotine delivery system, is a method of delivering vaporized nicotine instead of combusting tobaccos. The advent of e-cigarettes provided smokers with an alternative way to give them a feeling similar to smoking but with less smoke ingestion, which is the major danger from using conventional cigarettes. A series of studies revealed the increasing popularity and ever-use of e-cigarettes in developed countries (eg, United Kingdom, United States), among adolescents and young adults [1,2,3,4]. During 2011 to 2015, the use of e-cigarettes http://publichealth.jmir.org/2018/1/e27/ XSLFO RenderX. 1 (page number not for citation purposes) among high school students increased from 1.5% to 16.0% in the United States [4]. Modeling the influence of e-cigarette flavors on information propagation could provide quantitative policy decision support concerning smoking initiation and contagion, as well as e-cigarette regulations

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Discussion

Conclusion