Ashley L Merianos1, Olivia E Gittens2, E Melinda Mahabee-Gittens3. 1. School of Human Services; University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati, OH. 2. William Mason High School; Mason, OH. 3. Division of Emergency Medicine; Department of Pediatrics; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to assess the quantity, quality, and reach of e-cigarette health effects YouTube videos, and to quantify the description of positive and negative e-cigarette health effects and promotional content in each video. METHOD: Searches for videos were conducted in 2015 using the YouTube search engine, and the top 20 search results by relevance and view count were identified. Videos were classified by educational/medical news, advertising/marketing, and personal/testimonial categories. A coding sheet was used to assess the presence or absence of negative and positive health effects, and promotional content. RESULTS: Of the 320 videos retrieved, only 55 unique videos were included. The majority of videos (46.9%) were educational/medical/news, 29.7% were personal/testimonial, and 23.4% were advertising/marketing. The three most common negative health effects included discussing nicotine, e-cigarettes not being FDA regulated, and known and unknown health consequences related to e-cigarette use. The top positive health effects discussed were how e-cigarettes can help individuals quit smoking, e-cigarettes are healthier than smoking, and e-cigarettes have no smoke or secondhand smoke exposure. CONCLUSIONS: It is critical to monitor YouTube health effects content and develop appropriate messages to inform consumers about the risks associated with use while mitigating misleading information presented.
BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to assess the quantity, quality, and reach of e-cigarette health effects YouTube videos, and to quantify the description of positive and negative e-cigarette health effects and promotional content in each video. METHOD: Searches for videos were conducted in 2015 using the YouTube search engine, and the top 20 search results by relevance and view count were identified. Videos were classified by educational/medical news, advertising/marketing, and personal/testimonial categories. A coding sheet was used to assess the presence or absence of negative and positive health effects, and promotional content. RESULTS: Of the 320 videos retrieved, only 55 unique videos were included. The majority of videos (46.9%) were educational/medical/news, 29.7% were personal/testimonial, and 23.4% were advertising/marketing. The three most common negative health effects included discussing nicotine, e-cigarettes not being FDA regulated, and known and unknown health consequences related to e-cigarette use. The top positive health effects discussed were how e-cigarettes can help individuals quit smoking, e-cigarettes are healthier than smoking, and e-cigarettes have no smoke or secondhand smoke exposure. CONCLUSIONS: It is critical to monitor YouTube health effects content and develop appropriate messages to inform consumers about the risks associated with use while mitigating misleading information presented.
Authors: Jean-François Etter; Chris Bullen; Andreas D Flouris; Murray Laugesen; Thomas Eissenberg Journal: Tob Control Date: 2011-03-17 Impact factor: 7.552
Authors: Andrea C King; Lia J Smith; Patrick J McNamara; Alicia K Matthews; Daniel J Fridberg Journal: Tob Control Date: 2014-05-21 Impact factor: 7.552
Authors: Wanting Wen; Zhu Zhang; Ziqiang Li; Jiaqi Liang; Yongcheng Zhan; Daniel D Zeng; Scott J Leischow Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2020-04-27 Impact factor: 5.428