Characterizing Vaping Industry Political Influence and Mobilization on Facebook: Social Network Analysis

Background In response to recent policy efforts to regulate tobacco and vaping products, the vaping industry has been aggressive in mobilizing opposition by using a network of manufacturers, trade associations, and tobacco user communities, and by appealing to the general public. One strategy the alternative tobacco industry uses to mobilize political action is coordinating on social media platforms, such as the social networking site Facebook. However, few studies have specifically assessed how platforms such as Facebook are used to influence public sentiment and attitudes towards tobacco control policy. Objective This study used social network analysis to examine how the alternative tobacco industry uses Facebook to mobilize online users to influence tobacco control policy outcomes with a focus on the state of California. Methods Data were collected from local and national alternative tobacco Facebook groups that had affiliations with activities in the state of California. Network ties were constructed based on users’ reactions to posts (eg, “like” and “love”) and comments to characterize political mobilization networks. Results Findings show that alternative tobacco industry employees were more likely to engage within these networks and that these employees were also more likely to be influential members (ie, be more active) in the network. Comparisons between subnetworks show that communication within the local alternative tobacco advocacy group network was less dense and more centralized in contrast to a national advocacy group that had overall higher levels of engagement among members. A timeline analysis found that a higher number of influential posts that disseminated widely across networks occurred during e-cigarette–related legislative events, suggesting strategic online engagement and increased mobilization of online activity for the purposes of influencing policy outcomes. Conclusions Results from this study provide important insights into how tobacco industry–related advocacy groups leverage the Facebook platform to mobilize their online constituents in an effort to influence public perceptions and coordinate to defeat tobacco control efforts at the local, state, and federal level. Study results reveal one part of a vast network of socially enabled alternative tobacco industry actors and constituents that use Facebook as a mobilization point to support goals of the alternative tobacco industry.

Advancing racial equity and social justice for Black communities in US tobacco control policy

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) applies the Population Health Standard in tobacco product review processes by weighing anticipated health benefits against risks associated with a given commercial tobacco product at the population level. However, systemic racism (ie, discriminatory policies and practices) contributes to an inequitable distribution of tobacco-related health benefits and risks between white and Black/African Americans at the population level. Therefore, Black-centered, antiracist data standards for tobacco product review processes are needed to achieve racial equity and social justice in US tobacco control policy. Regardless of whether FDA implements such data standards, non-industry tobacco scientists should prioritise producing and disseminating Black-centred data relevant to FDA’s regulatory authority. We describe how systemic racism contributes to disparities in tobacco-related outcomes and why these disparities are relevant for population-level risk assessments, then discuss four possible options for Black-centred data standards relevant to tobacco product review processes.

The Ethics of e-Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation: A Global Challenge

"Tobacco smoking is especially harmful for women because, in addition to its effects on mortality and morbidity, it negatively impacts pregnancy, reproductive, and health of the offspring. Data from our work in Romania revealed that pregnant tobacco smokers are seeking information and clinical advice related to e-cigarette use as a tobacco cessation approach. E-cigarette use increased rapidly in the recent years in the US and in other countries, including LMICs. The tobacco control field is deeply divided on how to respond to the increase in e-cigarette use. Additional evidence on the ethical issues related to e-cigarette use and tobacco cessation will inform our mHealth and other pregnancy tobacco cessation interventions and will guide future tobacco control policy direction. The objective of this study is to identify ethical concerns and associated attitudes and perceptions related to e-cigarette use for tobacco cessation during pregnancy among pregnant smokers, their life partners, medical professionals, and other stakeholders. We will interview (N=20) and conduct two focus groups with women who smoke (one focus group, N=10) and women who quit during pregnancy (one focus group, N=10); interview life partners (N=10) of such women; interview ObGyn physicians (N=10) and nurses (N=10); and interview (N=10) and conduct one focus group (N=10) with perinatal educators. Other relevant stakeholders will be also interviewed including the leadership of 2035 Tobacco Free Romania, the national Stop Smoking program, the Pure Air consortium, the Romanian Pneumology Society, the SAMAS NGO focused on maternal and child health and rights, and others. With respect to expected outcomes, the proposed application is anticipated to advance understanding of the smokers’ and other stakeholders’ ethical concerns and associated attitudes and perceptions related to e-cigarettes use for tobacco smoking cessation. The in-depth new knowledge will have a positive impact on the cessation of prenatal and postnatal tobacco smoking and will inform future tobacco control policy directions. Results will be available and will be presented at the time of the conference. This work is based on research partly funded through six NIH-funded projects (grant no. K01TW009654, R21TW010896, 5R21TW010896-02S1, 5R21TW010896-02S2, 1R21HD103039-0, 1R25TW010518-01A1). "

Tobacco Control Policy Based on Environmental Protection Law

Objectives: Based on the environmental protection law, this paper analyzes our current tobacco control policy and studies the effectiveness of the follow-up policy. Methods: This paper studies the impact of environmental law on tobacco industry and tobacco control from the legislative principles and regulatory subjects of environmental protection law. Grasping the basic connotation of tobacco control policy is the premise of understanding and implementing tobacco control. This paper analyzes tobacco control policy from the perspective of policy network and policy tools. Through the description of Smith policy model, find out the deficiencies in the implementation of tobacco control policy. Results: The smoking population in China tends to be younger, and the control of teenagers' smoking behavior should be more strict. Conduct investigation and management around the school, put forward certain requirements for students' parents, and carry out health education for students. Based on the legislative intention of environmental protection law, we should use policy tools, policy network and policy implementation process theory to supervise and manage the whole process of tobacco control implementation in China from the aspects of tobacco system, policy formulation, policy implementation and policy evaluation.. Conclusion: The government should strengthen the scientificity of tobacco control policy-making and improve its operability and unity. It should improve the implementation system of tobacco control policies and improve the construction of law enforcement subjects. An effective administrative punishment mechanism should be established and the information disclosure system of tobacco control policy should be strengthened. The social members should be guided to participate in and supervise. We should evaluate tobacco control policies and strive to improve the formulation, implementation and evaluation of tobacco control policies.

Novel Insights into Young Adults’ Perceived Effectiveness of Waterpipe Tobacco-Specific Pictorial Health Warning Labels in Lebanon: Implications for Tobacco Control Policy

This study aims to explore the perceived effectiveness of waterpipe (WP) tobacco specific health warning labels (HWLs) among young adult WP smokers and nonsmokers in Lebanon. Before participating in focus group discussions, participants (n = 66; WP smokers n = 30; nonsmokers n = 36; age 18–33) completed a brief survey to rate the effectiveness of 12 HWLs’ and rank them according to four risk themes (WP health effects, WP harm to others, WP-specific harm, and WP harm compared to cigarettes). Differences in HWLs ratings by WP smoking status were examined and the top-ranked HWL in each theme were identified. HWLs depicting mouth cancer and harm to babies were rated as the most effective by both WP smokers and non-smokers. WP smokers rated HWLs which depicted harm to children and infants as more effective than non-smokers. The top-ranked HWLs for perceived overall effectiveness were those depicting “oral cancer”, “harm to babies”, “orally transmitted diseases” and “mouth cancer”. HWLs depicting oral lesions and harm to babies were rated as most effective, while HWLs showing the harmful effects of WP secondhand smoke on infants and children were rated as less effective by nonsmokers compared to smokers. Our study provides evidence on the potential effectiveness of HWLs for further evaluation in Lebanon and the Eastern Mediterranean region. The results will inform and guide the development and implementation of tobacco control policy.

Tool to monitor tobacco control policy implementation: the Tobacco Control Scale in Latin America. Adaptation process and pilot study

BackgroundMonitoring tobacco control policy implementation is one of the keys for tobacco consumption reduction in Latin America (LA). This study reports on the adaptation of the Tobacco Control Scale (TCS) for use in LA countries and the level of tobacco control policy implementation in this region according to the scale.MethodsEcological cross-sectional survey. The questionnaire to measure tobacco control policies was a translated (into Spanish and Portuguese) and adapted version of the last TCS as used in Europe. The resulting TCS-LA maintains the same structure as the original TCS, with eight policy domains and 100 points (pts) as maximum score; however, four policy domains were adapted because the exact same rationale could not be applied. At least two non-governmental tobacco control experts were contacted per country to answer the TCS-LA.ResultsInformants from 17 out of 18 countries completed the questionnaire. Using the TCS-LA, Panama (70 pts), Uruguay (68 pts) and Ecuador (61 pts) exhibited the strongest tobacco control policies, while Guatemala (32 pts), Bolivia (30 pts) and Dominican Republic (29 pts) have implemented a lower number of tobacco control policies. Eight countries reached 50% of the TCS-LA total possible score, indicating a relatively good implementation level of tobacco control policies.ConclusionsPanama, Uruguay and Ecuador are the tobacco control policy leaders in LA; however, tobacco control in the region has room for improvement since nine countries have a total score under 50 pts. The TCS is a feasible and adaptable tool to monitor tobacco control in other WHO regions beyond Europe.