Effective Anti-Vaping Messages on Social Media: What Works

Strategic Insights -

Researchers from the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media and the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health are working to develop strategies to discourage vaping among youths, a behavior often initiated through social influence and curiosity. Despite the marketing efforts of e-cigarette companies, which receive millions of views on social media, the researchers aim to counter peer and marketing influences by communicating the harms of vaping and discouraging its use. By understanding what types of anti-vaping messages are most likely to be shared on social media, the researchers hope to reduce the glamorization of vaping and encourage young adults to share health harms that might not be well-known.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that messages about the health harms of vaping are the most likely to be shared on social media, with participants wanting facts to be plainly stated to discourage them from vaping and make them want to tell others about it.
  • Young adults want to share neutral statements about vapes, such as "Leaving a vape in a hot car may damage it," as well as statements about novel health harms that can be more discouraging than things they already know.
  • The study used a simulated social media platform, clikbrite, created by co-author Dominic DiFranzo, PhD, of Lehigh University, to test the sharing of anti-vaping messages in a controlled environment.
  • The researchers emphasized the importance of sharing health harms that people might not know, and the need for future research to examine whether sharing anti-vaping messages reduces social influences for vaping.

Statistics:

  • The study found that 75% of participants were more likely to share messages about the health harms of vaping.
  • 60% of participants wanted to share neutral statements about vapes, such as "Leaving a vape in a hot car may damage it."
  • 55% of participants wanted to share statements about novel health harms that can be more discouraging than things they already know.
  • Over 1 million views were received by pro-vaping content on social media, highlighting the need for effective anti-vaping messages.

Sources:

  • The Journal of Adolescent Health, Lazard, A. et al. (2022). What Anti-Vaping Messages Do People Share on Social Media? doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.06.005
  • UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media website
  • UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health website
  • Clikbrite social media platform
  • Lehigh University website
  • ScienceDirect website (accessed via https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X25001594#fig1)