Examining indirect effects of advertising exposure on young adults’ cannabis and nicotine vaping.

Abstract

Objective: To examine longitudinal associations between exposure to two types of advertisements (medical/recreational cannabis and e-cigarette retailers [vape shops]) and young adults’ cannabis and nicotine vaping behavior. Positive and negative expectancies for cannabis and vaping nicotine were examined as mediators of these associations. Method: Secondary analysis of observational data from a longitudinal cohort of young adults recruited from Southern California (Wave 13: N = 2,411, 56% female, Mage = 23.6). Participants completed web-based surveys annually, reporting on advertising exposure in 2018, expectancies in 2019, and cannabis and nicotine vaping in 2020. Two path models were specified: (a) of past-month cannabis vaping only, nicotine vaping only, and co-use (vs. no vaping) and (b) of single product vaping (vs. co-use). Path analyses modeled direct and indirect associations between variables. Results: Controlling for past-month cannabis and nicotine use and other covariates, there were no significant direct associations of advertising exposure with cannabis and/or nicotine vaping. However, the association between cannabis advertising exposure and vaping (cannabis only) was significantly mediated by positive cannabis expectancies (β = 0.02, SE = 0.01, p = .03). Among those who vaped cannabis and/or nicotine in the past month at Wave 13, expectancies did not significantly mediate associations between advertising exposure and single product use (vs. co-use). Conclusions: Although exposure to cannabis advertisements may not be directly associated with young adults’ cannabis vaping 2 years later, the effects of advertising exposure may be exerted indirectly by increasing positive beliefs about cannabis. Implications for public health policy are discussed.

The role of socioeconomic status in the association between advertising exposure and electronic cigarette use among young adults in China: A moderated mediation analys

“…Therefore, educational campaigns to raise youth awareness of e-cigarette harms and strict regulations of advertising campaigns should be encouraged to reduce the ability of the campaigns to solicit curiosity as a marketing strategy. Previous studies did not reach consistency on whether harm perception mediates the relationship between advertising exposure and e-cigarette use 8,[11][12][13] . The current study provides no evidence to support the mediating role of harm perception in the Chinese young adult never smoker population, consistent with two longitudinal studies that did not support those beliefs about health outcomes of vaping significantly mediating the relationship between advertising exposure and young adult use 12,13 .…”

“…Previous studies did not reach consistency on whether harm perception mediates the relationship between advertising exposure and e-cigarette use 8,[11][12][13] . The current study provides no evidence to support the mediating role of harm perception in the Chinese young adult never smoker population, consistent with two longitudinal studies that did not support those beliefs about health outcomes of vaping significantly mediating the relationship between advertising exposure and young adult use 12,13 . In contrast, some research found that higher exposure to e-cigarette advertisements led to lower harm perception of e-cigarettes among youth, which further increased their probability of future use 8,11 .…”

“…To our knowledge, little research has investigated the mechanisms regarding how and the extent to which advertising exposure impacts e-cigarette use in China. Existing studies, which are mostly from Western countries, have pointed out that curiosity and harm perception towards e-cigarettes might be critical mediators between advertising exposure and e-cigarette use 8,[10][11][12][13] , yet the evidence is still limited and inconsistent. Instead of health benefits, e-cigarette advertisements in China tend to promote product qualities and emotion-related benefits to cater to local young people 14 .…”