Food purchasing and consumption behaviors have implications for nutrition and obesity. Food retail environments, in particular, shape customer food choices and energy intake. The marketing literature ...offers insights about how public health practitioners can work within food retail environments to encourage healthy food choices. We reviewed experimental studies in the marketing literature to examine factors influencing customer purchase intentions and choice for food products in retail stores. Database searches were conducted in February 2016 for original, empirical articles published in English from 2000⁻2015 in marketing journals. Each research article included at least one experimental design study conducted in a real or simulated retail environment with purchase intentions or choice of food products as an outcome variable. Backward and forward reference searches were conducted for articles meeting inclusion criteria. Narrative synthesis methods were used to thematically group and summarize the findings of forty-one articles that met inclusion criteria into three categories: shelf display and product factors, pricing and price promotion factors, and in-store and customer decision-making factors. This research contributes to the literature by providing specific and actionable approaches that can increase/decrease customer purchase intentions and choice for food products in retail environments. Translating marketing strategies into public health applications can provide recommendations for future intervention research and policy related to customer food purchasing behavior.
Tobacco-related content appears on social media in the form of advertising and messages by individuals. However, little is known about associations between posting social media messages and tobacco ...product use among adolescents and young adults. Self-reports of tobacco product use were obtained from the Children's Health Study of young adults in Southern California. Among the 1486 respondents in the most recent wave of the cohort (2016–2017), 284 provided tobacco product use data and their Twitter user names to access publicly available Twitter account data (mean age = 20.1 yrs. (SD = 0.6), 54% female, 49% Hispanic). We obtained the tweets that those respondents posted on Twitter, searched the tweets for 14 nicotine- and tobacco-related keywords, and coded these statements as positive or negative/neutral. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine whether respondents who posted positive tobacco-related tweets were more likely to report tobacco product use, relative to those who did not post any positive tobacco-related tweets. Respondents who posted any positive messages about tobacco had significantly higher odds of reporting past month use of cigarettes (OR = 3.15, 95% CI = 1.36, 7.30) and any tobacco product (OR = 2.41, 95% CI = 1.16, 5.01), relative to respondents who did not post about tobacco. This is the first study to establish an empirical link between adolescents' and young adults' tobacco-related Twitter activity and their tobacco product use. Health communications about the risks of tobacco use could target adolescents who post positive messages about tobacco products on Twitter.
•32% of young adult Twitter users had posted tweets about tobacco.•Those who tweeted positive tobacco messages were more likely to use tobacco.•Posting negative tobacco messages on Twitter was not associated with tobacco use.
Correspondence to Dr Anuja Majmundar, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia 30144, USA; majmundar.anuja@gmail.com Background In a rapidly evolving tobacco marketplace, research and evidence-based ...advocacy in action can help avert public health crises and achieve landmark progress in tobacco control.1 Research in action here relates to timely scientific investigations of emerging or ongoing tobacco control milestones; evidence-based advocacy in action is focused on using emerging scientific evidence to inform urgent tobacco control efforts. ACS houses an intramural Surveillance and Health Equity Science research department comprised of 39 research scholars with expertise in epidemiology, public health, regulatory science, economics, statistics, tobacco control and data science; 10 of them are specialised in tobacco control research. Typically, researchers translate broader priorities (eg, Was the public less inclined to quit smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic?) into specific research questions (eg, What were the trends in the point-of-purchase sales of Nicotine Replacement Therapy products before and after the COVID-19 pandemic?) to explore pertinent data and publish in peer-reviewed journals or other outlets; advocates also translate broader priorities into specific advocacy goals (eg, How much of a tax increase is needed to achieve a desired reduction in tobacco use?). Case study: informing Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s decision to regulate menthol-flavoured cigarettes Exchange: In light of robust evidence, ACS CAN has advocated for a federal ban on mentholflavored tobacco products to advance health equity and protect public health in the past.
BackgroundThis study analysed posts to Instagram related to KandyPens, an open-system pod mod e-cigarette company, marketing its products as aromatherapy devices. The objective was to determine ...themes, corresponding user profiles and references to types of e-liquid solutions used with KandyPens.MethodsData consisted of publicly available posts to Instagram with the hashtag ‘#kandypens’ collected from 8 June to 8 August 2018 (n=1775). Identified themes included: product appearance (eg, highlighting design features including colour of device), user experience (eg, vape tricks), flavours (eg, strawberry) and promotions (eg, $10 off). The type of e-liquid solutions (nicotine, aromatherapy and cannabis) used with KandyPens were also recorded. Instagram profiles were categorised into: vaping enthusiast/advocates, influencers, KandyPens’ official Instagram account, vape vendors and average Instagram users.Results User experience (28.90%) and product appearance (21.80%) were predominant themes followed by promotions (10.08%), and flavours (1.01%). About 32.43 % of posts referenced cannabis-related solutions, 2.98 % of the posts mentioned nicotine-related solutions and 0.11 % of the posts mentioned aromatherapy. Average Instagram users (24.89%) posted the majority of posts followed by vape vendors (20.72%), KandyPens’ official account (17.96%), vaping enthusiasts/advocates (10.75%) and influencers (0.45%).ConclusionKandyPens markets its products as aromatherapy devices; however, Instagram posts related to these products rarely mentioned their purported purpose. Future research should consider product design, user experience and the co-use of nicotine and cannabis with KandyPens to assess implications related to product appeal and abuse liability.
•Approximately half of all past 30-day youth cigarette smokers reported smoking menthol cigarettes.•Menthol smokers reported higher dependence in the areas of craving, affiliative attachment, and ...tolerance.•There were no significant differences between menthol and non-menthol smokers for remaining dependence constructs.
Menthol cigarettes appeal to adolescents because they mask the harsh taste and sensation of tobacco smoke thereby making it easier to inhale the smoke. As a result, menthol cigarette users expose themselves to higher levels of nicotine relative to non-menthol cigarettes and increase their risk for developing nicotine dependence. We examined whether adolescent menthol smokers (vs. non-menthol smokers) reported higher nicotine dependence.
Data were from adolescent past 30-day cigarette smokers participating in Wave 2 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health survey (n = 434). Nicotine dependence was assessed using eight items from the Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives corresponding to individual subscale constructs. Linear regression models evaluated the association of past 30-day menthol (vs. non-menthol) cigarette use with each dependence outcome in separate models, adjusting for age, gender, race, and other tobacco product use.
49.5% of past 30-day youth cigarette smokers reported smoking menthol cigarettes. In adjusted models, menthol smokers (vs. non-menthol smokers) reported significantly higher nicotine dependence for three constructs: craving (p = 0.005), affiliative attachment (p = 0.005), and tolerance (p = 0.003). No differences for menthol vs. non-menthol smokers were observed for loss of control, negative reinforcement, cognitive enhancement, automaticity, or social environment after correction for multiple comparisons.
Findings suggest that menthol cigarette smokers are not just more physically dependent on nicotine but also experience increased emotional attachments to cigarettes compared to their non-menthol smoking peers. Because adolescents are vulnerable to developing nicotine dependence, tobacco control policies that restrict youth access to menthol cigarettes are urgently needed.
Product placement in music videos is a growing promotional strategy. This study examined the impact of e-cigarette product placement and imagery in music videos on susceptibility to use e-cigarettes ...among young adults.
A non-probability sample of young adults (18 to 24) in Southern California were recruited to participate in an experiment over Zoom. Participants were randomized into a treatment or a control group. The treatment group watched seven music videos with e-cigarette product placement and imagery. The control group watched the same seven music videos with all e-cigarette product placement and imagery digitally removed. Participants completed a questionnaire after watching the music videos. The focus of the analysis was on susceptibility to use e-cigarettes in the future among never users (n = 303).
Participants in the treatment group who had never used e-cigarettes were more likely to report intentions to try e-cigarettes in the future (OR = 1.94, 95% CI 1.08, 3.54, compared to participants in the control group. Participants in the treatment group who had never used e-cigarettes were more likely to report peer influence (OR = 1.97, 95% CI 1.19, 3.32, compared to participants in the control group. While these subitems of susceptibility to use e-cigarettes were statistically significant, the relationship between the treatment group and the composite measure of susceptibility was not.
Exposure to e-cigarette product placement in music videos may increase young adults' intentions to try e-cigarettes in the future. Federal, state, and local tobacco control regulatory bodies should consider strategies to reduce e-cigarette product placement in music videos.
This study used a randomized online experiment to understand the interrelationships between e-cigarette benefit and harm perceptions, e-cigarette use ambivalence, and e-cigarette message exposure and ...perceived effectiveness. A high prevalence of ambivalent attitudes toward e-cigarettes at baseline was reported. Ambivalent individuals reported significantly higher benefits and lower harm perceptions compared to univalent individuals. Contrary to past findings, ambivalence was not responsive to persuasive messages in this study. This study situates e-cigarette use perceptions in a realistic setting. High baseline ambivalence in this study calls for more unequivocal messages from the FDA about the risks of e-cigarette use.
Abstract
Introduction
A holistic public health surveillance approach can help capture the public’s tobacco and marijuana-related attitudes and behaviors. Using publicly available data from Twitter, ...this is one of the first studies to describe key topics of discussions related to each intersection (e-cigarette, combustible tobacco, and marijuana) of the Triangulum framework.
Aims and Methods
Twitter posts (n = 999 447) containing marijuana, e-cigarette, and combustible tobacco terms were collected from January 1, 2018 to December 23, 2019. Posts to Twitter with co-occurring mentions of keywords associated with the Triangulum were defined as an intersection (e-cigarettes and combustible tobacco, combustible tobacco and marijuana, e-cigarettes and marijuana, and marijuana, e-cigarettes and combustible tobacco). Text classifiers and unsupervised machine learning were used to identify predominant topics in posts.
Results
Product Features and Cartridges were commonly referenced at the intersection of e-cigarette and marijuana-related conversations. Blunts and Cigars and Drugs and Alcohol were commonly referenced at the intersection of combustible tobacco and marijuana-related discussions. Flavors and Health Risks were discussed at the intersection of e-cigarette and combustible-related conversations, while discussions about Illicit products and Health risks were key topics of discussion when e-cigarettes, combustible tobacco, and marijuana were referenced all together in a single post.
Conclusion
By examining intersections of marijuana and tobacco products, this study offers inputs for designing comprehensive FDA regulations including regulating product features associated with appeal, improving enforcement to curb sales of illicit products, and informing the FDA’s product review and standards procedures for tobacco products that can be used with marijuana.
Implications
This study is the first to leverage the Triangulum framework and Twitter data to describe key topics of discussions at the intersection of e-cigarette, combustible tobacco, and marijuana. Real-time health communication interventions can identify Twitter users posting in the context of e-cigarettes, combustible tobacco, and marijuana by automated methods and deliver tailored messages. This study also demonstrates the utility of Twitter data for surveillance of complex and evolving health behaviors.
During our ongoing research on tobacco-related marketing, we have observed several e-cigarette companies making unsubstantiated claims that their products provide health benefits including an ...improved immune system, better sleep, and increased energy. The 2009 Tobacco Control Act requires the FDA to consider the health impact of regulatory actions on nonusers of tobacco and gives it the authority to regulate false and misleading statements used to advertise these products.1 By associating their products with vitamins and healthy foods, nicotine and nonnicotine vaping companies could be confusing consumers. ...the health claims related to these products have not been validated scientifically, and there are untested substances in e-liquids that could be associated with acute or chronic toxicities. Recent evidence supports these concerns: e-liquid fruit flavors of almost every kind contain diacetyl, which has been linked to bronchiolitis obliterans (i.e., "popcorn lung," an irreversible respiratory disease that obstructs the smallest airways of the lungs and was initially discovered among popcorn factory workers), and even diacetyl-free eliquids contain other hazardous chemicals.4 There is evidence that strawberry-flavored eliquids are particularly cytotoxic5 and that administration of vitamins via inhalation could cause pulmonary damage.6 Marketing vaping products as healthy vapor-vitamin inhalation products represents a potentially new phase in misleading e-cigarette advertising.
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