Youth Tobacco Use Before and After Local Sales Restrictions on Flavored and Menthol Tobacco Products in Minnesota.

PURPOSE: Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, implemented sales restrictions on all flavored tobacco products in 2016 ("flavor policy") and expanded the restrictions to menthol tobacco products in 2018 ("menthol policy"). We examined data from surveys of Minnesota youth collected before and after the flavor and menthol policies. METHODS: We measured changes in youth tobacco use prevalence using data from the Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey and the Minnesota Student Survey. We analyzed tobacco use overall and, where possible, by product category and flavor category among survey respondents in the Twin Cities area (including Minneapolis and St. Paul) and the rest of the state of Minnesota (ROS). RESULTS: In the Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey, overall youth use of any tobacco product significantly increased in ROS (by 26.6%) but did not change in the Twin Cities after the flavor policies. Similarly, the Minnesota Student Survey showed the youth use of any tobacco product increased to a greater extent in ROS (by 44.6%) than that in the Twin Cities (by 34.6%) after implementation of the menthol policies. In both surveys, increases in youth use of particular tobacco products were less pronounced in the Twin Cities relative to the rest of the state. DISCUSSION: Policies restricting sales of all flavored and menthol tobacco products may be associated with attenuated increases in youth use of tobacco product categories. Policy exemptions and proximity to nonpolicy jurisdictions may have diluted the effect of policies on overall tobacco product use among youth tobacco users.

Reach, Receptivity, And Beliefs Associated With the Fresh Empire Campaign to Prevent and Reduce Cigarette Use Among Youth in the United States.

PURPOSE: To determine the association between exposure to FDA's Fresh Empire tobacco public education campaign and tobacco-related beliefs. DESIGN: Repeated cross-sectional data collection design with embedded longitudinal cohort over six data collection waves. SETTING: 30 US evaluation markets. SAMPLE: Hip Hop peer crowd-identified US youth aged 12-18 (N = 5,378). MEASURES: Self-reported brand and video ad awareness (saw any ad at least sometimes) and perceived effectiveness (1-5 scale) to describe campaign awareness and receptivity. Exogenous exposure was measured using population-adjusted broadcast and digital video impressions. Tobacco-related beliefs included beliefs about smoking risks, attitudes towards tobacco-free people and lifestyles, and normative beliefs about smoking. ANALYSIS: Descriptive analyses of awareness, receptivity, and agreement with tobacco-related beliefs. Logistic regression models to determine the relationship between broadcast and digital video impressions and beliefs. INTERVENTION: Fresh Empire campaign. RESULTS: The campaign generated a high level of reach (71% brand and 66% video ad awareness at final wave) and messages were well-received (across waves 3.5-4.1 mean perceived effectiveness scores). Higher broadcast television exposure was associated with increased agreement with five beliefs related to addiction/control, being a bad influence on family/friends, and cosmetic effects of smoking (breath and attractiveness) (ORs = 1.16-1.27, (Ps < .05)). CONCLUSION: Fresh Empire successfully reached and resonated with Hip Hop-identified youth. The campaign was associated with a limited number of targeted beliefs.

Perceived Message Effectiveness and Campaign-Targeted Beliefs: Evidence of Reciprocal Effects in Youth Tobacco Prevention.

Perceived message effectiveness (PE) has been widely used in campaign formative research and evaluation. The relationship between PE and actual message effectiveness (AE) is often assumed to be causal and unidirectional, but careful conceptualization and empirical testing of this and other causal possibilities are generally lacking. In this study, we investigated the potential reciprocity in the relationship between PE and AE in the context of a national youth tobacco education campaign. In so doing, we also sought to generate much needed evidence on PE's utility to predict campaign-targeted outcomes in youth tobacco prevention. Using five waves of campaign evaluation data (N = 1,128), we found significant lagged associations between PE and campaign-targeted beliefs, and vice versa. These results suggest a dynamic, mutually influencing relationship between PE and AE and call for greater attention to such dynamics in campaign research.

Final Evaluation Findings for This Free Life, a 3-Year, Multi-Market Tobacco Public Education Campaign for Gender and Sexual Minority Young Adults in the United States.

INTRODUCTION: This Free Life was the first multi-market, primarily digital campaign designed to change tobacco-related beliefs among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) young adults. Our evaluation sought to determine whether campaign exposure resulted in changes in tobacco-related beliefs. We summarize awareness and receptivity at the conclusion of the campaign and assess the effect of campaign exposure on tobacco-related beliefs in campaign treatment markets compared with control markets. AIMS AND METHODS: Twenty-four US designated market areas were selected to receive the campaign or serve as control markets. A baseline survey was conducted in 2016, with six follow-up surveys conducted approximately 6 months apart over the course of the 3-year campaign. 12 324 LGBT young adult survey participants were recruited via intercept interviews and social media. Campaign effects on outcomes were estimated using difference-in-difference panel regression models, with p-values corrected for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Brand and ad awareness peaked in treatment markets approximately 2.5 years into the 3-year campaign and were significantly higher in treatment than control markets. Brand equity and ad receptivity were generally high and similar across LGBT subgroups. There were small but significant campaign effects on five tobacco-related beliefs, with difference-in-difference estimates ranging from 1.9 to 5.6 percentage points. CONCLUSIONS: This Free Life, the first multi-market tobacco public education campaign for LGBT young adults, reached and resonated with a large and diverse population, and had a small effect on beliefs involving social aspects of smoking. These findings should inform future communication efforts aimed at reducing tobacco use among LGBT young adults. IMPLICATIONS: Modest overall campaign effects suggest that further research on effective campaign messaging and delivery to LGBT young adults is needed. Campaign messaging style, delivery channels, and targeted outcomes likely contributed to these findings. Health communication efforts for LGBT young adults should consider the limitations of digital media in achieving sufficient exposure. Ad style and content optimized for a digital environment is an area that will benefit from further development.

"The Real Cost" Smokeless campaign: changes in beliefs about smokeless tobacco among rural boys, a longitudinal randomized controlled field trial.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of current smokeless tobacco (SLT) use in 2019 among high school students was 4.8%, and the overall rate of SLT use was higher among high school boys (7.5%) than girls (1.8%). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched "The Real Cost" Smokeless media campaign in April 2016 to educate rural youth about the dangers of SLT use. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of "The Real Cost" Smokeless campaign. METHODS: We use a 3-year (Jan 2016 - Dec 2018) randomized controlled longitudinal field trial that consists of a baseline survey of boys and a parent/guardian and four follow-up surveys of the boys. The cohort includes 2200 boys who were 11 to 16 years old at baseline and lived in the rural segments of 30 media markets (15 treatment markets and 15 control). "The Real Cost" Smokeless campaign targets boys who are 12 to 17 years old in 35 media markets. It focuses primarily on graphic depictions of cosmetic and long-term health consequences of SLT use. The key outcome measures include beliefs and attitudes toward SLT that are targeted (explicitly or implicitly) by campaign messages. RESULTS: Using multivariate difference-in-difference analysis (conducted in 2019 and 2020), we found that agreement with 4 of the 11 explicit campaign-targeted belief and attitude measures increased significantly from baseline to post-campaign launch among boys 14 to 16 years old in treatment vs. control markets. Agreement did not increase for boys 11-13 years old in treatment vs. control markets and only increased for one targeted message for the overall sample. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that "The Real Cost" Smokeless campaign influenced beliefs and attitudes among older boys in campaign markets and that a campaign focused on health consequences of tobacco use can be targeted to rural boys, influence beliefs about SLT use, and potentially prevent SLT use.

The FDA's Diverse and Dynamic Activities in the Social and Behavioral Sciences: Advancing and Supporting Health Equity.

The U.S. encompasses a heterogenous mix of people and health disparities exist for various subpopulations, such as minorities, women, people with limited English proficiency, those with low socioeconomic status, and other underserved groups. Differences in health outcomes arise in part due to inequalities and injustices rooted in biological, social, and structural factors. Because the origins of health disparities are multifactorial, the approaches to reduce, or even eliminate them, must be multifactorial as well. The social and behavioral sciences are well poised to address the myriad and complex factors that affect health outcomes, including those at the individual level (eg, individuals' behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs), the neighborhood level (eg, housing), the community level (eg, cultural values and norms), and the policy level (eg, public policies that influence healthcare funding and access to healthcare resources and educational materials). In addition, the social and behavioral sciences (1) help equip government agencies with the perspectives and tools needed to promote health equity and (2) contribute to rigorous, evidence-based solutions for public health issues, such as disparities found in childhood vaccination rates, childhood obesity, tobacco use, and access to health information technology. The FDA, in particular, actively conducts social and behavioral sciences research to guide the Agency's efforts to advance and support health equity.

LGBT young adults' awareness of and receptivity to the This Free Life tobacco public education campaign.

PURPOSE: This study measures awareness of and receptivity to the Food and Drug Administration's This Free Life campaign seeking to change tobacco-related attitudes and beliefs among lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT) young adults. METHODS: Participants were young adults who self-identify as LGBT. The evaluation uses a treatment-control design. This study includes data from four survey rounds with participants from each round invited to participate in subsequent rounds and new participants invited to account for attrition. Bivariate analyses assess treatment-control differences in campaign awareness by round. We used multivariable logistic regression models with a time×treatment interaction and covariates to assess whether increases in awareness were greater in treatment than control from follow-ups 1 to 4. Descriptive statistics describe perceived effectiveness and models explore covariates of perceived effectiveness. RESULTS: At each round, an increasing number of participants in treatment were brand aware (25%-67%) and reported high (16%-34%) and medium (16%-25%) video awareness compared with control (all p<0.001). Regressions revealed interactions in brand and video awareness, wherein the effect of treatment on awareness increased more over time, with significant treatment-control differences in change from follow-up 1 to 4 (all p<0.05). Reactions to all but one ad were positive (one neutral) with mean perceived effectiveness scores from 3.21 to 3.92 ('neither disagree nor agree' to 'agree' on 5-point scale). Perceived effectiveness differed by LGBT identity (all p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: At follow-up 4, This Free Life reached most of the campaign audience in treatment markets and has achieved higher awareness in treatment than control markets, at individual survey rounds and over time.

To Speak to Me, Address Us: Insights From LGBT Young Adults to Inform Public Education Campaigns.

Draft advertising concepts were tested in a series of focus groups among 140 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) young adults aged 18 to 24 in seven U.S. cities in 2015. In this secondary analysis of focus group transcripts, young adult responses to tested concepts belie deeper lessons that have broader application for public education campaigns among LGBT young adult audiences. Respondents valued seeing both individuals who were like them and also unlike them, preferring a diverse portrayal of the fuller spectrum of LGBT communities, a finding which has implications for campaign segmentation of LGBT audiences. More broadly tailored communications for LGBT audiences can be appropriate as long as portrayals are diverse. These young adults expressed the desire to see nuanced, humanizing content that avoids playing into existing stereotypes. These findings also show how qualitative research can benefit segmentation and how research and communications can address the needs of subgroups within diverse segments.

Keeping It Fresh With Hip-Hop Teens: Promising Targeting Strategies for Delivering Public Health Messages to Hard-to-Reach Audiences.

Despite overall declines in youth cigarette use, tobacco use inequities exist by race/ethnicity. Health communication campaigns can be effective in changing tobacco-related attitudes, intentions, and behaviors and can be used to address tobacco use inequities by targeting young people who are at high risk for tobacco use. In 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched Fresh Empire, the first tobacco public education campaign designed to reach primarily African American, Hispanic, and/or Asian American/Pacific Islander youth ages 12 to 17 years who identify with the Hip-Hop peer crowd. This article presents an overview of two targeting strategies-(a) influencers on social media and (b) paid digital and social media advertisements-that Fresh Empire uses to reach its audience and increase message credibility that can inform future campaigns targeting hard-to-reach populations. These strategies help the campaign expand its reach, be authentic, and increase engagement with the target audience. Microinfluencers are selected for their alignment with Hip-Hop values and high engagement rates; local influencers are teens recruited to promote the campaign in their communities; and digital and social ads are purchased with a minimum number of in-target guaranteed impressions. Across both strategies, metrics have met or exceeded expectations, including a sentiment analysis that revealed 87.3% of comments on microinfluencer posts were positive. Initial findings suggest that the tobacco prevention messages have reached the target population and resonated positively, which may help to increase message credibility and improve receptivity to tobacco prevention messages.

Reactions to electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) prevention messages: results from qualitative research used to inform FDA's first youth ENDS prevention campaign.

BACKGROUND: Youth e-cigarette use is a major public health concern. Large-scale tobacco prevention campaigns are a proven strategy to prevent tobacco use. There is a gap in understanding what types of e-cigarette prevention messages might be most effective. This study addresses this gap by reporting youth reactions to health messages aimed at preventing e-cigarette use. METHODS: In 2018, twenty-four focus groups, with 159 teens (12-17) at risk for or experimenting with e-cigarettes were conducted in four cities across the USA. During focus groups, youth responded to creative concepts dealing with (1) the addictive nature of e-cigarettes, (2) the fact that e-cigarettes come in flavours, which may encourage youth initiation, and nicotine which may lead to addiction, or (3) that youth who use e-cigarettes are more likely to use cigarettes. Youth also gave feedback to specific facts about harmful and potentially harmful chemicals in e-cigarettes. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Messages focusing on addiction alone did not resonate with participants. While youth found the idea that e-cigarettes may contain nicotine and can be addictive believable, with many describing personal experiences of addiction, they questioned how bad this really was, comparing addiction to e-cigarettes to things like being addicted to food. Participants wanted more information about negative consequences of vaping. Concepts paired with strong health effects messages resonated with participants. CONCLUSION: These focus groups clarified which e-cigarette prevention messages might be most persuasive to teens. Youth in this study responded favourably to messages stating specific health consequences of e-cigarette use.

Awareness of "The Real Cost" Campaign Among US Middle and High School Students: National Youth Tobacco Survey, 2017.

OBJECTIVES: Monitoring awareness of a public education campaign can help to better understand the extent of sustained population-level exposure to the campaign. We examined unaided awareness (awareness that does not include a visual image to remind the respondent of the campaign or advertisement) and correlates of unaided awareness of "The Real Cost," a national youth tobacco education campaign developed by the US Food and Drug Administration and implemented in 2014. METHODS: This secondary analysis examined unaided campaign awareness by using data from the 2017 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a nationally representative school-based sample of young persons aged 9-19 years (n = 17 269) surveyed approximately 3 years after campaign launch. We compared unaided campaign awareness among various cigarette user groups (experimenters, susceptible nonsmokers, current or former smokers, and nonsusceptible nonsmokers). We examined associations between unaided campaign awareness and demographic and tobacco-related correlates, overall and by cigarette user group. RESULTS: Three years after "The Real Cost" campaign was launched, most middle and high school students (58.5%) still reported unaided campaign awareness. Of 17 269 middle and high school students in the sample, 62.0% of susceptible nonsmokers and 64.5% of experimenters reported unaided campaign awareness. Among susceptible nonsmokers, unaided campaign awareness differed by age and race/ethnicity and was higher among students with greater tobacco-related harm perceptions (vs lower harm perceptions) and exposure to pro-tobacco marketing (vs no exposure). CONCLUSIONS: Future surveillance and research could examine awareness of "The Real Cost" campaign and effects of the campaign on young persons' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs to further assess the public health impact of tobacco prevention campaigns.

Awareness of and Receptivity to the Fresh Empire Tobacco Public Education Campaign Among Hip Hop Youth.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to assess awareness of and receptivity to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Fresh Empire tobacco public education campaign designed to reach Hip Hop-identified youth, who are at higher smoking risk. METHODS: The evaluation uses a randomized treatment-control design with 15 campaign-targeted treatment and 15 control markets. We conducted surveys among 12- to 17-year-olds before campaign launch and at approximately 6-month intervals. Analyses explore treatment-control differences in Fresh Empire brand and video advertisement awareness at individual survey rounds and over time and perceived effectiveness of advertisements. RESULTS: Awareness of the Fresh Empire brand was higher among youth in treatment than control markets following campaign launch (ps < .01). Awareness of the Fresh Empire brand increased more in treatment than control over time (adjusted odds ratio = 3.26, 95% confidence interval = 1.90-5.58). At follow-ups 1 and 3, youth in treatment (vs. control) were more likely to report high and less likely to report low awareness of video advertisements (ps < .05). There were no treatment-control differences in video awareness at follow-up 2 (not significant). Fresh Empire video advertisements had perceived effectiveness scores ranging from 3.66 to 4.11 (1-5 scale) across three survey rounds. CONCLUSIONS: Among the campaign audience of Hip Hop-identified youth, awareness of the Fresh Empire campaign was higher in treatment than control markets at individual survey rounds, and increases in campaign awareness were greater in treatment than control markets over time. Campaign advertisements also elicited positive audience reactions. Findings suggest that heavily digital campaigns may take longer to achieve Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-recommended 75% quarterly awareness.

Impact of The Real Cost Media Campaign on Youth Smoking Initiation.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between youth exposure to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's national tobacco public education campaign, The Real Cost, and changes in smoking initiation. METHODS: From November 2013 to November 2016, a longitudinal study of youth was conducted with a baseline and 4 post-campaign follow-up surveys. The sample consisted of nonsmoking youths from 75 U.S. media markets (n=5,103) who completed a baseline and at least 1 follow-up survey. Exposure was measured by media market-level target rating points and self-reported ad exposure frequency. Smoking initiation was examined among youths who had never smoked at baseline and defined as first trial of a cigarette. Discrete-time survival models using logistic regression and controlling for confounding influences were estimated. Analyses were conducted in 2018. RESULTS: The odds of reporting smoking initiation at follow-up was lower among youths in media markets with higher levels of campaign advertisements than among those with less. Both between-wave and cumulative target rating points were associated with decreased risk of smoking initiation (AOR=0.69 [p<0.01] and AOR=0.89 [p<0.05], respectively); for every 3,500 between-wave target rating points on air, there was an associated 30% reduction in the hazard of smoking initiation among youths. Results from self-reported recall of the campaign advertisements found similar dose-response effects. The campaign is associated with an estimated 380,000-587,000 youths aged 11-19 years being prevented from initiating smoking nationwide. CONCLUSIONS: Sustained national tobacco public education campaigns like The Real Cost can change population-level smoking initiation among youths, preventing future generations from tobacco-related harms.

Sexual and Gender Minority U.S. Youth Tobacco Use: Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Wave 3, 2015-2016.

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco use disparities by sexual identity are well characterized among adults, but relatively less is known about tobacco use disparities in sexual minority youth. Moreover, no national study has reported tobacco use behaviors among gender minority (e.g., transgender) youth. METHODS: Data from Wave 3 (2015-2016) of the Population Assessment of Health Study from youth aged 14-17 years (n=7,772), analyzed in 2018, were stratified by transgender identity, sex, and sexual identity to describe tobacco product use. RESULTS: Transgender youth (n=79) were more likely to report ever use of tobacco products compared with nontransgender youth (electronic nicotine products, 40.2% vs 23.0%; cigarettes, 33.9% vs 14.1%; and smokeless tobacco, 21.5% vs 6.0%, respectively) and more likely to report past 30-day use of these products. Similarly, female sexual minority youth, compared with straight female youth, were more likely to report ever use of electronic nicotine products (37.9% vs 20.1%); cigarettes (28.9% vs 12.0%); cigars (11.3% vs 5.2%); hookah (12.7% vs 7.6%); and past 30-day use of electronic nicotine products, cigarettes, and cigars. Among male youth, sexual minority youth were more likely to report ever use of cigarettes compared with straight youth (25.1% vs 13.5%), but they did not differ in ever or past 30-day use of any other tobacco products. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual minority youth and transgender youth are more likely to use tobacco products compared with their nonminority peers. Similar to patterns among adults, this is especially true for female sexual minority youth. This information is useful for developing communication and education efforts to prevent youth tobacco initiation in these high-risk groups.

Tobacco Product Use Health Equity Among Non-Hispanic American Indian Alaska Native Youth in 29 States, 2007-2013.

INTRODUCTION: American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth are more likely to smoke than non-Native youth. The aim of this study is to compare tobacco product use among youth by AI/AN race and region over time to identify populations and geographies of higher risk. METHODS: From 2015 to 2018, biennial U.S. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance data from 29 states were examined to compare ever and current cigarette use, current cigar use, current smokeless tobacco use, and cigarette initiation before the age of 13 years between non-Hispanic AI/AN and non-Native youth by region from 2007 to 2013. RESULTS: Although cigarette use among AI/AN and non-Native youth decreased significantly from 2007 to 2013, AI/AN youth were significantly more likely than non-Native youth to ever use (AOR=1.88, 95% CI=1.71, 2.06) or currently use (AOR=1.88, 95% CI=1.69, 2.09) cigarettes, currently use cigars (AOR=1.17, 95% CI=1.03, 1.34), currently use smokeless tobacco (AOR=1.84, 95% CI=1.63, 2.07), or initiate cigarette use before the age of 13 years (AOR=1.92, 95% CI=1.72, 2.15). Disparities between AI/AN and non-Native youth varied by region, with the largest disparity in Northern Plains and Alaska. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of AI/AN youth cigarette, cigar, and smokeless tobacco use is significantly higher than that of non-Native youth. Tobacco control efforts to address AI/AN cigarette use disparities may consider those younger than 13 years.

Tobacco use among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young adults varies by sexual and gender identity.

BACKGROUND: Research shows that tobacco products are disproportionately used by sexual and gender minorities, known collectively as those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). While usage varies within this population by identity, differences in tobacco use patterns are not well understood. The present study uses evaluation data for This Free Life, a tobacco public education campaign from the FDA, to examine differences in tobacco use among LGBT young adults by subgroups based on sex at birth, gender and sexual identity. METHODS: Data are from 4,057 18-24 LGBT young adults who completed the baseline This Free Life evaluation survey in 2016. Multivariable logistic regression models examined differences in tobacco use (cigarettes, cigars, hookah and electronic nicotine products) and poly use (2+ of any product, 2+ combustibles, at least one combustible and one noncombustible) between LGBT subgroups (cisgender gay males, cisgender bisexual males, cisgender lesbian/gay females, cisgender bisexual females and gender minorities). RESULTS: Sexual minority females were more likely than gay males to use any tobacco product, electronic nicotine products and hookah. Cisgender bisexuals were more likely than gay males and gender minorities to use electronic nicotine products. Cisgender bisexual males were less likely than all other groups to use cigarettes. Cisgender sexual minority females were more likely than gender minorities to engage in poly use. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that sexual minority females are more likely to use tobacco than other subgroups. More research can help campaign developers better understand reasons for intragroup differences in tobacco use among LGBT subgroups.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of The Real Cost Campaign's Effect on Smoking Prevention.

INTRODUCTION: A previous study found that the Food and Drug Administration's The Real Cost national tobacco education campaign was associated with preventing approximately 350,000 U.S. youth from initiating smoking between 2014 and 2016. This study translates the reduction in smoking initiation into monetary terms by examining the cost effectiveness of the campaign. METHODS: The cost effectiveness of The Real Cost was assessed by measuring efficiency in two ways: (1) estimating the cost per quality-adjusted life year saved and (2) estimating the total monetary return on investment by comparing the cost savings associated with the campaign to campaign expenditures. Analyses were conducted in 2017. RESULTS: The Real Cost averted an estimated 175,941 youth from becoming established smokers between 2014 and 2016. Campaign expenditures totaled $246,915,233. The cost per quality-adjusted life year saved of the campaign was $1,337. When considering the costs of smoking, the averted established smokers represent >$31 billion in cost savings ($1.3 billion when only external costs considered). The overall return on investment of the campaign was $128 in cost savings for every $1 spent ($4 for every $1 spent when only external costs considered). These conclusions were robust to sensitivity analyses surrounding the parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Campaign expenditures were cost efficient. The cost savings resulting from The Real Cost represent a large reduction in the financial burden to individuals, their families, and society as a result of tobacco. Public health campaigns, like The Real Cost, that reduce tobacco-related morbidity and mortality for a generation of U.S. youth also provide substantial cost savings.

Nicotine and addiction beliefs and perceptions among the US-born and foreign-born populations.

Little is known about nicotine and addiction beliefs held by those who are foreign-born in the US and how these beliefs are associated with acculturation and race/ethnicity. This study attempts to address these research gaps. Data were analyzed from two cycles of the Health Information National Trends Survey, HINTS-FDA 2015 (n = 3738) and HINTS-FDA 2017 (n = 1736). HINTS-FDA is a tobacco-focused, cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of US non-institutionalized civilian adults aged 18 years or older. We first assessed associations between foreign-born status and beliefs about nicotine and addiction using weighted chi-square analyses. Then, using only the foreign-born sample, we examined the associations of nicotine and addiction beliefs with race/ethnicity and acculturation (i.e., English proficiency and U.S. tenure) using weighted multiple linear regression. Results showed that, compared to US-born respondents, foreign-born respondents were more likely to be concerned with being addicted to nicotine and to believe that low nicotine cigarettes would have much lower lung cancer risk than a typical cigarette. Among the foreign-born, NH-Black and Hispanic respondents were more likely to see low nicotine cigarettes as harmful and addictive compared to NH-White respondents. The relationship between acculturation and nicotine beliefs was complex with lower acculturation associated with elevated misperceived risk of nicotine and also ratings of addictiveness. Further research among key subpopulations may inform communication, education and dissemination strategies, especially among vulnerable populations.

Recruiting Hard-to-Reach Populations for Survey Research: Using Facebook and Instagram Advertisements and In-Person Intercept in LGBT Bars and Nightclubs to Recruit LGBT Young Adults.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco public education campaigns focus increasingly on hard-to-reach populations at higher risk for smoking, prompting campaign creators and evaluators to develop strategies to reach hard-to-reach populations in virtual and physical spaces where they spend time. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe two novel recruitment strategies (in-person intercept interviews in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender [LGBT] social venues and targeted social media ads) and compares characteristics of participants recruited via these strategies for the US Food and Drug Administration's This Free Life campaign evaluation targeting LGBT young adults who smoke cigarettes occasionally. METHODS: We recruited LGBT adults aged 18-24 years in the United States via Facebook and Instagram ads (N=1709, mean age 20.94, SD 1.94) or intercept in LGBT social venues (N=2348, mean age 21.98, SD 1.69) for the baseline evaluation survey. Covariates related to recruitment strategy were age; race or ethnicity; LGBT identity; education; pride event attendance; and alcohol, cigarette, and social media use. RESULTS: Lesbian or gay women (adjusted odds ratio, AOR 1.88, 95% CI 1.54-2.29, P<.001), bisexual men and women (AOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.17-1.82, P=.001), gender minorities (AOR 1.68, 95% CI 1.26-2.25, P<.001), and other sexual minorities (AOR 2.48, 95% CI 1.62-3.80, P<.001) were more likely than gay men to be recruited via social media (than intercept). Hispanic (AOR 0.73, 95% CI 0.61-0.89, P=.001) and other or multiracial, non-Hispanic participants (AOR 0.70, 95% CI 0.54-0.90, P=.006) were less likely than white, non-Hispanic participants to be recruited via social media. As age increased, odds of recruitment via social media decreased (AOR 0.76, 95% CI 0.72-0.80, P<.001). Participants with some college education (AOR 1.27, 95% CI 1.03-1.56, P=.03) were more likely than those with a college degree to be recruited via social media. Participants reporting past 30-day alcohol use were less likely to be recruited via social media (AOR 0.33, 95% CI 0.24-0.44, P<.001). Participants who reported past-year pride event attendance were more likely to be recruited via social media (AOR 1.31, 95% CI 1.06-1.64, P=.02), as well as those who used Facebook at least once daily (AOR 1.43, 95% CI 1.14-1.80, P=.002). Participants who reported using Instagram at least once daily were less likely to be recruited via social media (AOR 0.73, 95% CI 0.62-0.86, P<.001). Social media recruitment was faster (incidence rate ratio, IRR=3.31, 95% CI 3.11-3.52, P<.001) and less expensive (2.2% of combined social media and intercept recruitment cost) but had greater data quality issues-a larger percentage of social media respondents were lost because of duplicate and low-quality responses (374/4446, 8.41%) compared with intercept respondents lost to interviewer misrepresentation (15/4446, 0.34%; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Social media combined with intercept provided access to important LGBT subpopulations (eg, gender and other sexual minorities) and a more diverse sample. Social media methods have more data quality issues but are faster and less expensive than intercept. Recruiting hard-to-reach populations via audience-tailored strategies enabled recruitment of one of the largest LGBT young adult samples, suggesting these methods' promise for accessing hard-to-reach populations.

Sexual and gender minority cigarette smoking disparities: An analysis of 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data.

We examined the association between lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) identity, cigarette and e-cigarette use, and potential risk factors in the United States. Using data from 198,057 adults in 26 states in the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), we estimated the prevalence of cigarette use, e-cigarette use, and potential risk factors by gender identity and sexual identity. Overall and sex-stratified bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions examined whether the relationship between sexual and gender identity and cigarette and e-cigarette use persisted after adjusting for demographics, socio-economic status, and other unhealthy behaviors. After adjusting for covariates, gender minority identity was no longer associated with increased likelihood of currently smoking cigarettes and ever use of e-cigarettes. Sexual minority identity continued to be significant after adjusting for covariates, indicating that sexual identity disparities in cigarette and e-cigarette use are not fully explained by these factors. Findings varied by identity. Compared to their straight peers, likelihood of tobacco product use among LGB individuals varied between sexes, by product, and by sexual identity (gay/lesbian versus bisexual). More research is needed to understand the mechanisms that influence diverse patterns of cigarette and e-cigarette use among sexual and gender minority adults.