The Effect of E-Cigarette Print Advertisements on Smoking Cessation

Univ Of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) advertising has exploded in recent years. Given its unregulated nature, e- cigarette advertising can and does proliferate in a number of advertising channels, including television and radio, which have long banned combustible cigarette advertising. With the major cigarette manufacturers entering into the e-cigarette market, e-cigarette advertising spending and prevalence will likely continue to rise. Major questions for researchers and policymakers alike are how exposure to e-cigarette advertising affects cigarette smoking cessation behavior and whether it could undermine cessation. The proposed study begins to investigate these questions. Despite marketing a non-cigarette product, e-cigarette ads present images evocative of cigarette smoking and highlight physical similarities between e-cigarettes and cigarettes. E-cigarette ads also promote e-cigarettes as a way to alleviate nicotine cravings when smokers cannot smoke. Through a randomized controlled experiment with adult smokers, the proposed study will manipulate two features of e-cigarette advertisements - message type and smoking cue presence - and will assess the effects of these manipulations on cessation-related outcomes. Study aims are to 1) examine the main effects of message type and smoking cue presence on quit intention; 2) examine the interaction effect of message type and smoking cue presence on quit intention; and 3) examine the extent to which normative beliefs about smoking, self-efficacy to quit smoking, and quitting-related beliefs and attitudes mediate the interaction effect of message type and smoking cue presence on quit intention. Results of this study will help inform the development of e-cigarette advertising regulations and potentially provide evidence to defend e-cigarette advertising restrictions. The proposed study has direct relevance to cancer prevention efforts. It will be the first in a series of studies that the fellowship applicant will lead over her career an that will elucidate the relationship between e-cigarette advertising exposure and smoking-related behavior, inform policymaking, and, ultimately, reduce cancer incidence and mortality. By leading the proposed study as part of this training fellowship, the applicant will gain experience as a cancer prevention and control researcher within a supportive environment. Coursework will teach her the quantitative skills to complete the analyses and will strengthen the theoretical foundation of the study. Training in the responsible conduct of research will provide her with an in-depth understanding of issues involved in human subjects research. Mentorship by her sponsor, co-sponsor, and other investigators; attendance at meetings and seminars; and course work will help her apply her skills and training to the proposed study, expand her knowledge of communication science and theory, gain experience using MTurk for data collection, and present study results in a way that would be meaningful to policymakers.