Social Media Message Designs to Educate Adolescents About E-Cigarettes

Abstract

E-cigarette use is increasing among adolescents, despite potential harms. Social media messages are a promising way to educate youth about e-cigarettes, yet little is known about what message topics and formats will have beneficial impacts for message reception, reach, e-cigarette knowledge, and beliefs about harms. Methods: A national convenience sample of adolescents (n ¼ 928, aged 15e18 years) in high school was recruited for an online experiment. In October 2019, participants were randomized to view one of three social media formats (visual based, quiz, and text only) or a no-message control. Participants in format conditions viewed six unique topics in a random order. Outcomes were e-cigarette knowledge and beliefs. Message reactions and sharing preferences were also assessed among youth who saw social media messages. Results: Social media messages led to greater knowledge (Cohen's f ¼ .19; p < .001) and beliefs (f ¼ .16; p < .001) about harms of e-cigarettes compared with the control, regardless of format. Almost four in five adolescents (79%) reported they would share the social media messages, most likely in person (49%) and with friends (52%). Message topics for missing out because of lung damage, having uncontrolled moods, and ingesting specific harmful chemicals elicited higher intended message reactions. Conclusions: Social media messages can educate about e-cigarette harms. Social media campaigns are a promising e-cigarette education strategy to reach youth, directly and potentially through peer-to-peer sharing.

What’s in the message? An analysis of themes and features used in vaping prevention messages

“…Existing evidence supports the potential message efficacy of many of the frequently used themes found in this study, such as addiction and health risks of vaping ( England et al, 2021 , Noar et al, 2020 ). Adolescent and young adult e-cigarette users are less likely to believe that e-cigarette use will lead to addiction than non-users ( Lazard, 2021 , Rohde et al, 2018 , Rohde et al, 2021 ), and evidence suggests that addiction beliefs may be an important message target for vaping prevention campaigns ( Sangalang et al, 2019 ).…”

“…The presence of familiar chemicals in vaping prevention messages has been perceived as alarming and scary by teens ( Popova et al, 2021 ). Research suggests that the messaging strategy of focusing on chemicals with negative associations – such as formaldehyde – is a promising route for anti-vaping communicators hoping to elicit intended negative reactions among youth ( Lazard, 2021 , Roditis et al, 2020 , Wiseman et al, 2016 ). Still, quantitative evaluations of the efficacy of this approach are needed.…”

Effect of Health Promotion Media on Adolescents’ Willingness to Use Electronic Cigarettes: A Literature Review

“…value of 0.03 (p<0.05). Similarly, The use of social media can improve adolescent knowledge and reduce their interest in using electronic cigarettes [21], [22]. The diseaseprevention campaign model provides important knowledge and induces willingness in adolescents to prevent a certain disease [23].…”

“Taking Up a New Problem”: Context and Determinants of Pod-Mod Electronic Cigarette Use Among College Students

“…Social media platforms could also be leveraged when designing communication campaigns. Recent studies have found this approach promising, with social media messaging to educate youth about ECIGs leading to greater knowledge and beliefs about the dangers of vaping (Lazard, 2020).…”