Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jul 11, 2023
Date Accepted: Feb 8, 2024
Effects of a social media intervention on vaping intentions: Randomized dose-response experiment
ABSTRACT
Background:
E-cigarette use, especially by young adults, is at unacceptably high levels and represents a public health risk factor. Digital media are increasingly used to deliver anti-vaping campaigns, but little is known about their effectiveness, or dose-response effects of content delivery.
Objective:
The objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate the effectiveness of a 60-day anti-vaping social media intervention in changing vaping use intentions and beliefs related to the stimulus content, and 2) evaluate dose-response effects of varying levels of exposure to the intervention on vaping outcomes, including anti-industry beliefs, vaping intentions, and other attitudes and beliefs related to vaping.
Methods:
Participants were recruited into the study, completed a baseline survey, and were then randomized to 1 of the 5 conditions: 0 (control), 4, 8, 16, 32 exposures over a 15 day period between each survey wave. Follow-up data were collected at 30 and 60 days after randomization. We conducted analyses of the full sample and in subsamples defined by baseline vaping status (never, former, and current). Stimulus through four 15-second social media videos focused on anti-industry beliefs about vaping delivered via Facebook to 18-24 year old adults in the US. The main outcomes measures reported in this study as self-reported exposure of social media intervention content, attitudes and beliefs about vaping, and vaping intentions.
Results:
We found a significant effect of the social media treatment on vaping intentions and on anti-industry beliefs targeted by the intervention content among current vapers. We found no significant effects on self-reported exposure
Conclusions:
Social media interventions are a promising approach to preventing vaping among young adults. More research is needed on how to optimize dosage of such interventions and the extent to which long-term exposure may affect vaping use over time. Clinical Trial: This study was registered as a clinical trial at clinicaltrials.gov under identifier NCT04867668.
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