Background: The prevalence of smoking is higher among sexual minority (SM) individuals compared with heterosexuals. The impact of televised anti-tobacco mass media campaigns on smoking outcomes among SMs is not known. Aims: We examined whether televised anti-tobacco advertising was differentially associated with current smoking and smoking…

Alcohol misuse among young adults remains a primary public health concern given the wide range of short- and long-term physical, social, and societal consequences of the behavior. On-premise drinking establishments, which allow alcohol consumption on site (i.e., bars), are frequent locations for young adult alcohol use. Risks for alcohol misuse…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) developed a public education campaign, The Real Cost, that reduced youth susceptibility to tobacco product use. We sought to identify the mechanisms that may underlie the impact of The Real Cost ads on susceptibility to vaping to inform youth tobacco prevention campaigns. Our online randomized controlled…

Background: The prevalence of electronic-cigarette (e-cigarette) product placement in music videos is on the rise and currently unregulated. This promotional activity is concerning given the popularity of music videos among young adults. Aims: We examined associations between self-reported levels of exposure to music videos with any e-cigarette…

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) increasingly use internet-based websites and geospatial apps to seek sex. Though these platforms may be useful for public health intervention, evaluations of such interventions are rare. We sought to evaluate the online behavior of young MSM of color in Philadelphia and the effectiveness of using ads to…

Background: To address concerns that healthy weight and lifestyle campaigns (HWLCs) could have unintended psychological or behavioral consequences, this study tested reactions to TV advertisements from two HWLCs--"LiveLighter"® (employs graphic health effects messaging) and "Swap It Don't Stop It" (employs animation and…

The majority of U.S. adults believe that smoking is a cause of lung cancer, but research suggests that the percentage of adults who believe smoking causes other types of cancers and chronic disease is lower. This study examines the correlates of beliefs about several established health effects of smoking in a nationally representative sample of…

Social media platforms are home to large volumes of ambiguous hashtag-based claims about the health, modified-risk, and cessation benefits of electronic cigarette products (e.g., #Vapingsavedmylife). The objective of this study was to qualitatively explore how young adults interpret these hashtags on the popular platform Instagram. Specifically,…

Understanding how two characteristics--flavors and modified risk messages--affect perceptions and subjective effects of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) can inform tobacco control efforts. In two within-subjects studies (N = 17 and N = 19), the effects of e-cigarette flavors (tobacco vs. menthol and unflavored vs. cherry) and hypothetical…

This study theorizes and tests moderators (perceived availability of marijuana and age-group) of the association between adolescents' frequency of marijuana ad exposure and past-year marijuana use. To test this model, I analyzed national survey data from 9,024 American adolescents with hierarchical regression techniques. Results showed that being…

Internet-based recruitment can be effective in reaching large numbers of geographically diverse individuals. Geosocial sexual networking apps on smartphones have emerged as the modal way in which men who have sex with men (MSM) meet sex partners, and as venues for sexual health research. We report on the performance of three types of…

Background: Lower-income families in the United States are at increased risk for food insecurity and have higher rates of tobacco use. Many retailers accepting government food assistance benefits also sell tobacco products, whose marketing promotes smoking initiation and undermines quit attempts. We examined the presence of tobacco marketing in…

In August 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to cigarette manufacturers promoting brands as "natural" or "additive-free" because of concerns that such marketing claims might mislead consumers into believing that these brands are less dangerous to smoke than others. The current study examined…

Background: Peer crowds are macro-level, reputation-based subcultures with shared preferences, values, and behavior. The Country peer crowd has been the focus of tobacco industry research and marketing but has yet to be the primary focus of public health research. The current study explores the utility of "Down and Dirty," a "Social…

Background: This study examined how risk perceptions and social norms around e-cigarettes are associated with susceptibility (i.e., openness to using the product in the next 12 months) of e-cigarettes and smoking among adolescents. Methods: We analyzed data from a 2016 representative survey of 8,718 middle school students in Mexico. The study…