The study titled, “Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Marketing and Initiation Among Youth and Young Adults,” was conducted by researchers at the University of Texas. The compiled data suggested minors aged 12 to 17 who reported remembering e-cig adverts, were nearly twice as likely to start vaping within two and a half years.
A 2018 study titled, “Recall of Point-of-Sale Marketing Predicts Cigar and E-Cigarette Use Among Texas Youth”, had reported similar findings. The researchers of the latter study had used the Texas Adolescent Tobacco Advertising and Marketing Surveillance System (TATAMS), a large-scale, representative study of 6th, 8th, and 10th graders in 79 middle and high schools in five counties across Texas.
The researchers of the Texas study had also followed 2,288 youths, aged 12 to 17, and 2,423 young adults, aged 18 to 29, who reported never vaping. Associations between recall of tobacco advertisements and products on display at points of sale and susceptibility to use for cigarette, e-cigarette, cigar, and smokeless products were examined 6 months later.
E-cig and cigar visibility at POS were associated with increased use
Just like in the current study, the results had indicated that students’ recall of such adverts for e-cigarettes and cigar type products, predicted ever use and increased susceptibility to use the products at follow-up, across all store types. Young adults who recalled both in-store and TV ads, were 30% more likely to take up vaping. On the other hand, recall of cigarette and smokeless products’ displays, seemed to not have the same effect and were not associated with tobacco use measures.
The researchers of both studies have concluded that adverts continue to be of great influence and play an important role in tobacco use behavior amongst youth. Lawmakers are being urged to regulate the marketing and advertising of such products accordingly.
US study finds that e-cig adverts may encourage smokers to quit
