Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Oct 13, 2022
Open Peer Review Period: Oct 13, 2022 - Dec 8, 2022
Date Accepted: Jan 10, 2023
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Examining Visual Attention to Tobacco Marketing Materials among Young Adult Smokers: A Protocol for a Remote Webcam-based Eye-Tracking Experiment
ABSTRACT
Background:
Eye-tracking provides an objective way to measure attention, which can advance researchers’ and policymakers’ understanding of tobacco marketing influences. The development of remote webcam-based eye-tracking technology, integrated with online crowdsourcing studies, may be a cost-effective and time-efficient alternative to laboratory-based eye-tracking methods. However, research is needed to evaluate the utility of remote eye-tracking methods.
Objective:
To detail the process of designing a remote webcam-based eye-tracking experiment and provide data on associations between participant characteristics and the outcomes of completing the experiment.
Methods:
N=2,023 young adult (aged 18–34 years) cigarette smokers in the U.S. were recruited to complete an online survey that included a 90-second remote eye-tracking experiment that examined attention to e-cigarette marketing materials. Primary outcome measures assessed the completion of the remote eye-tracking experiment, specifically: (1) experiment initiated vs. not initiated; (2) experiment completed vs. not completed; and (3) usable vs. non-usable eye-tracking data generated. Multivariable logistic regressions examined the associations between outcome measures and participants’ socio-demographic backgrounds, tobacco use history, and electronic devices (mobile vs. desktop) used during the experiment.
Results:
Study recruitment began April 14, 2022 and ended May 3, 2022. Among all survey participants, 93.3% (n=1,887) initiated the experiment, 38.4% (n=777) completed the experiment, and 18.8% (n=381) generated usable data. Among those who completed the experiment, 49.0% generated usable data. Results from the full regression models show that non-Hispanic Black participants (AOR=0.64, 95% CI=0.45, 0.91) were less likely to complete the eye-tracking experiment than non-Hispanic White participants. Additionally, female (vs. male) participants (AOR=1.46, 95% CI=1.01, 2.11), those currently (vs. not) using e-cigarettes (AOR=2.08, 95% CI=1.13, 3.82), and those who used mobile (vs. desktop) devices (AOR=5.10, 95% CI=3.05, 8.52) were more likely to generate usable eye-tracking data.
Conclusions:
Young adult participants were willing to try remote eye-tracking technology, and nearly half of those who completed the experiment generated usable eye-tracking data. Thus, we believe that the use of remote eye-tracking tools, integrated with crowdsourcing recruitment, can be a useful approach for the tobacco regulatory science research community to collect quality, large-scale eye-tracking data in a timely fashion and thereby address research questions in the ever-evolving tobacco marketing landscape. It would be useful to investigate techniques for how to enhance completion rates and data usability. Clinical Trial: NA
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