Online Searches for Quitting Vaping During the 2019 Outbreak of E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury

Online Interest for Electronic Cigarettes Using Google Trends in the UK: A Correlation Analysis

BACKGROUND

Google Trends provides an easily accessible and cost-effective method of providing real-time insight into user interest.

OBJECTIVE

to address the gap in UK prevalence data for e-cigarettes by analyzing Google Trends to identify correlations with official data from Action on Smoking and Health. The study further evaluates Google Trend's sensitivity to real-time events and the ability for predictive models to forecast future data based on Google Trends.

METHODS

UK Google Trends data from 2012 to 2021 was analyzed to assess (a) the most popular electronic nicotine device terminology; (b) statistically significant points in time; (c) correlations between Relative Search Volumes and official reports on electronic cigarette use and (d) whether Google Trends could predict future patterns in data. These were achieved using Locally Weighted Scatterplot Smoothing regression, Pruned Exact Linear Time Method, cross correlation, and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average algorithms respectively.

RESULTS

"Vape" was revealed to be the most popular electronic nicotine device terminology with a correlation coefficient greater than +0.9 when compared to official electronic cigarette consumption data within a one-year timescale (lag 0). Results from ARIMA modeling were varied with the algorithms forecasted trends line occasionally lying outside of a 95% prediction interval.

CONCLUSION

Google Trends may correspond to population-based prevalence of electronic cigarette use. The changing trends coincide with changing policy decisions. Google Trends based prediction for online interest in electronic cigarettes requires further validation so should currently be used in conjunction with other traditional methods of data collections.

Cannabis use and patterns among middle and older aged Canadians prior to legalization: a sex-specific analysis of the Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey

BACKGROUND

The recreational use of cannabis was legalized across Canada in October 2018. While many people use cannabis without harm, adverse outcomes have been noted in a few populations, including middle-aged and older adults. Given that the current literature has neglected to study cannabis use among this population and between sexes, the objective of our study was to identify the prevalence, characteristics, and patterns of cannabis use among middle and older aged males and females prior to legalization in Canada.

METHODS

Secondary analysis was conducted on the Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey 2017, with the sample restricted to adults ages 40 and above. The main outcome was defined as past-year cannabis use and statistical analysis was conducted separately for males and females. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify associations between the main outcome and various sociodemographic, health, and substance use variables. Explanatory supplementary variables were also explored.

RESULTS

In 2017, 5.9% of females and 9.0% of males over the age of 40 reported past-year cannabis use. Almost 62% of males who used cannabis in the past-year reported a failed attempt at reducing or stopping their cannabis use. Over half (56%) of older females, self-reported using cannabis for medical purposes. Additionally, over one in five older adults reported using a vaporizer or e-cigarette as a delivery method for cannabis. Significant characteristics of male cannabis use included having no marital partner, cigarette smoking, and illegal drug use. Furthermore, significant predictors of past-year cannabis use in females included residing in an urban community, Eastern- Atlantic provinces or British Columbia, having fair/poor mental health, smoking cigarettes, use of other tobacco products, and illegal drugs.

CONCLUSION

To our such knowledge, this is the first nationally representative study to outline the prevalence, characteristics, and patterns of past-year cannabis use prior to Canadian legalization, among middle and older aged Canadians. Results from this study are expected to be used to reliably to track changes in usage, behaviours, and related disorders in the years to come.