Tobacco Content Exposure on Social Media Tied to Actual Use

FRIDAY, July 22, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals who are exposed to tobacco content on social media have greater odds of reporting tobacco use and fostering more positive attitudes toward tobacco products and brands, according to a review published online July 11 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Scott I. Donaldson, Ph.D., from University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on studies that examined the association between exposure to tobacco content on social media and lifetime tobacco use, past 30-day tobacco use, and susceptibility to use tobacco among never users.

Based on 24 included datasets (139,624 individuals), the researchers found that participants who were exposed to tobacco content on social media had greater odds of reporting lifetime tobacco use (odds ratio, 2.18), past 30-day tobacco use (odds ratio, 2.19), and susceptibility to use tobacco among never users (odds ratio, 2.08) compared with those who were not exposed. Similar associations were seen for tobacco promotions, active engagement, passive engagement, lifetime exposure to tobacco content, exposure to tobacco content on more than two platforms, and exposure to tobacco content among adolescents and young adults.

"Findings suggest that a comprehensive strategy to reduce the amount of tobacco content on social media should be developed by federal regulators," the authors write.

One author reported grant funding from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program and the California Department of Public Health California Tobacco Control Program.

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