142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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301962
Exploring Inequalities in U.S. Young Adults' Exposure to E-cigarette Information from Media Sources and Knowledge about FDA E-Cigarette Regulation

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014

Cabral Bigman, PhD , Department of Communication, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
Andy Tan, PhD, MPH, MBA, MBBS , Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Ashley Sanders-Jackson, PhD , Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
  
Background: Although some state electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) regulations exist, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) does not currently regulate e-cigarettes. Alongside proliferation of e-cigarette advertising, e-cigarettes have received attention in news and entertainment; there has been some coverage of their unsettled regulatory status. This study explores whether communication inequalities are emerging among young adults—the group most likely to try e-cigarettes—by examining relationships between sociodemographic characteristics, exposure to mediated information about e-cigarettes, and knowledge of FDA regulation.

Method: Online survey among a purposive sample of 900 racially/ethnically diverse young adults (aged 18-34 years). Using logistic regression, we examined sociodemographic predictors of exposure to e-cigarette information through advertising, news, social media, and entertainment media and knowledge of FDA regulation of e-cigarette for safety and smoking cessation. We further analyzed whether sociodemographic factors moderated the associations between media exposure and regulatory knowledge.

Results: Only 22% of participants correctly responded that FDA does not currently regulate e-cigarettes for safe use or smoking cessation. Many participants (44-52%) reported no media exposure to e-cigarette information. There were inequalities in regulatory knowledge and frequency of media exposure to e-cigarette information across sociodemographic factors and smoking/vaping status. Surprisingly, news exposure was significantly associated with lower odds of having accurate knowledge of FDA regulations of e-cigarettes; this association was moderated by educational level and smoking/vaping status.

Conclusion: Communication inequalities for media exposure to e-cigarette information and knowledge gaps regarding FDA regulation exist between SES groups that warrant further investigation.

Learning Areas:

Communication and informatics
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related public policy
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Assess whether inequalities exist in exposure to media sources of information about e-cigarettes and knowledge about regulatory status of e-cigarettes among a diverse sample of young adults. Describe the relationship between sociodemographic factors, exposure to mass media about e-cigarettes, and knowledge of FDA regulatory status. Discuss possible implications of e-cigarette communication inequalities for tobacco control among young adult populations.

Keyword(s): Communication, Tobacco Control

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have completed doctoral training in health communication research, postgraduate training in public health, and clinical medicine. My research focuses on mediated and interpersonal communication as determinants of outcomes across the cancer prevention and control continuum including outcomes related to tobacco control. In recent years, I have published peer-reviewed articles and presented at scientific meetings research on public awareness and perceptions of electronic cigarettes and evaluations of smoking cessation media campaigns.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3276.0: Health Communication Strategies to Promote Health and Prevent Disease (organized by HCWG)