Pro-tobacco marketing and anti-tobacco campaigns aimed at vulnerable populations: A review of the literature

Risk Perceptions of Low Nicotine Cigarettes and Alternative Nicotine Products across Priority Smoking Populations

BACKGROUND

As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers a low nicotine product standard for cigarettes, it is important to examine how people who smoke, especially individuals from priority populations disproportionately affected by smoking, perceive low nicotine content (LNC) cigarettes and their relative risk perceptions of alternative nicotine delivery system (ANDS) products, including e-cigarettes and snus, and medicinal nicotine.

METHODS

Data are from Wave 4 (2016-2017) of the adult Population Assessment of Tobacco Use and Health (PATH) Study. We examined respondents' absolute risk perceptions about nicotine, LNC cigarettes, ANDS products and medicinal nicotine; their relative risk perceptions of LNC cigarettes and ANDS products compared to conventional cigarettes; and their relative risk perceptions of medicinal nicotine compared to ANDS products.

RESULTS

The majority of respondents across priority smoking populations indicated snus, e-cigarettes, and LNC cigarettes were 'about the same' level of harmfulness or addictiveness as conventional cigarettes. The majority of respondents indicated e-cigarettes to be 'about the same' harmfulness as medicinal nicotine.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study indicates that adults who smoke cigarettes generally have misperceptions about the harms of nicotine and the relative risks of ANDS products and such misperceptions exist regardless of their racial/ethnic identity, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Characterizing the spatial relationship between smoking status and tobacco retail exposure: Implications for policy development and evaluation

Tobacco retail density and smoking prevalence remain elevated in marginalized communities, underscoring the need for strategies to address these place-based disparities. The spatial variation of smokers and tobacco retailers is often measured by aggregating them to area-level units (e.g., census tracts), but spatial statistical methods that use point-level data, such as spatial intensity and K-functions, can better describe their geographic patterns. We applied these methods to a case study in New Castle County, DE to characterize the cross-sectional spatial relationship between tobacco retailers and smokers, finding that current smokers experience greater tobacco retail exposure and clustering relative to former smokers. We discuss how analysis at different geographic scales can provide complementary insights for tobacco control policy.

A Systematic Scoping Review of Media Campaigns to Develop a Typology to Evaluate Their Collective Impact on Promoting Healthy Hydration Behaviors and Reducing Sugary Beverage Health Risks

Interventions to discourage sugary beverages and encourage water consumption have produced modest and unsustainable behavioral changes to reduce obesity and noncommunicable disease risks. This systematic scoping review examined media campaigns to develop a typology to support healthy hydration nonalcoholic beverage behaviors. Our three-step methodology included the following: (1) review and summarize expert-recommended healthy beverage guidelines; (2) review six English-language electronic databases guided by PRISMA to describe existing campaign types by issue, goal and underlying theory; and (3) develop a media campaign typology to support policies, systems and environments to encourage healthy hydration behaviors. Results showed no international consensus for healthy beverage guidelines, though we describe expert-recommended healthy beverage guidelines for the United States. Of 909 records identified, we included 24 articles describing distinct media campaigns and nine sources that defined models, schemes or taxonomies. The final media campaign typology included: (1) corporate advertising, marketing or entertainment; (2) corporate social responsibility, public relations/cause marketing; (3) social marketing; (4) public information, awareness, education/ health promotion; (5) media advocacy/countermarketing; and (6) political or public policy. This proof-of-concept media campaign typology can be used to evaluate their collective impact and support for a social change movement to reduce sugary beverage health risks and to encourage healthy hydration behaviors.

Smoking cessation interventions for people living in rural and remote areas: a systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Smoking rates among people living in rural and remote areas are higher and quit rates are lower over the past 10 years compared with people living in suburban and urban areas. Higher smoking rates contribute to greater tobacco-related disease and morbidity in rural and remote areas. Physical and social isolation, greater exposure to pro-tobacco marketing, pro-tobacco social norms, and lower socioeconomic and educational levels are contributing to these higher smoking rates and lower quit rates. Smoking cessation interventions for people in rural and remote areas have been conducted, however little is known about their effectiveness or their mechanisms of action as well as the quality of such research. Behaviour change techniques (BCTs) are mechanisms of action derived from behaviour change theory, such as goal setting and reward. Improved understanding of the contribution of BCTs for smoking cessation in the rural and remote population will support future intervention development. We aim to review the literature on smoking cessation interventions for people living in rural and remote areas to inform evidence about intervention effectiveness and mechanisms of action.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We will conduct a systematic review using seven scientific databases (EMBASE, MedLine, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane, Informit Health and Scopus). We will include peer-reviewed journal articles published in English that examine a smoking cessation intervention delivered to people living in rural and remote areas in the USA, Canada and Australia. We will examine outcome data relating to intervention effectiveness (eg, point prevalence abstinence or continuous abstinence), as well as the BCTs used in included interventions and their relationship with intervention outcomes. We will also assess the feasibility, acceptability and quality of research interventions of included articles, and provide graded recommendations based on the review outcomes. Data will be synthesised using narrative approaches and interpreted using content analysis.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics was not required for this systematic review. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication and at conferences by presentations.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

177398.

Influencer prevalence and role on cigar brand Instagram pages

PURPOSE

Influencers market products for tobacco companies on social media. This is the first study to systematically examine leading cigar brands' use of influencers on their brand Instagram pages.

METHODS

We identified 24 leading cigar brands, using July 2017-June 2018 US retail data. We identified cigar brands that had official appearing Instagram pages, with at least one influencer in the past 20 posts. We coded characteristics of the past three posts from each of five brand pages that contained influencers, such as setting and what the influencer was doing. Finally, we described influencer characteristics.

RESULTS

Approximately one-third of the 24 brands had official Instagram accounts with at least one influencer in the past 20 posts. We identified 28 influencers, typically people of colour from the hip-hop music industry, some with millions of followers. Influencers included Bella Thorne (@bellathorne), Shaquille O'Neal (@shaq) and T.I. (@troubleman31). Brands' posts that contained influencers showed the influencer using/holding a product, wearing branded merchandise or appearing in photos with a brand watermark. Three brands' pages posted sponsored event photos (ie, concerts and events using branded backgrounds).

DISCUSSION

Cigar brands commonly use influencers to market their products on brand Instagram pages. Results are consistent with previous findings that cigar companies' marketing may target younger African Americans and highlight the potential utility of education campaigns that similarly engage influencers.