U.S. hookah tobacco smoking establishments advertised on the internet.
Am J Prev Med
; 42(2): 150-6, 2012 Feb.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-22261211
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Establishments dedicated to hookah tobacco smoking recently have proliferated and helped introduce hookah use to U.S. communities.PURPOSE:
To conduct a comprehensive, qualitative assessment of websites promoting these establishments.METHODS:
In June 2009, a systematic search process was initiated to access the universe of websites representing major hookah tobacco smoking establishments. In 2009-2010, codebook development followed an iterative paradigm involving three researchers and resulted in a final codebook consisting of 36 codes within eight categories. After two independent coders had nearly perfect agreement (Cohen's κ = 0.93) on double-coding the data in the first 20% of sites, the coders divided the remaining sites and coded them independently. A thematic approach to the synthesis of findings and selection of exemplary quotations was used.RESULTS:
The search yielded a sample of 144 websites originating from states in all U.S. regions. Among the hookah establishments promoted on the websites, 79% served food and 41% served alcohol. Of the websites, none required age verification, <1% included a tobacco-related warning on the first page, and 4% included a warning on any page. Although mention of the word tobacco was relatively uncommon (appearing on the first page of only 26% sites and on any page of 58% of sites), the promotion of flavorings, pleasure, relaxation, product quality, and cultural and social aspects of hookah smoking was common.CONCLUSIONS:
Websites may play a role in enhancing or propagating misinformation related to hookah tobacco smoking. Health education and policy measures may be valuable in countering this misinformation.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Tipo de estudo:
Qualitative_research
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2012
Tipo de documento:
Article