Online tobacco marketing among US adolescent sexual, gender, racial, and ethnic minorities.

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION:The tobacco industry has previously targeted sexual/gender and racial/ethnic minorities with focused campaigns in traditional, offline marketing. We assess whether these populations report more engagement with online tobacco marketing compared with heterosexual and non-Hispanic white youth. METHODS:Data were from 8015 adolescents sampled between 2014 and 2015 in the nationally-representative Population Assessment for Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. Engagement with online tobacco marketing within the past year was assessed through eight forms of engagement. A weighted logistic regression model was fit with engagement as outcome and socio-demographic and psychosocial characteristics, internet-related and substance use behavior, tobacco-related risk factors, tobacco use status, and prior engagement with online tobacco marketing as covariates. RESULTS:Accounting for other covariates including tobacco use status and prior engagement with online tobacco marketing, the odds of past-year engagement were higher for sexual minority males (aOR?=?1.57; 95% CI: 1.05-2.35) compared to straight males and higher for sexual minority females (aOR?=?1.45; 95% CI: 1.13-1.87) compared to straight females. The odds of past-year engagement were also higher for Hispanics (aOR?=?1.31; 95% CI: 1.11-1.56) and non-Hispanic Blacks (aOR?=?1.42; 95% CI: 1.14-1.77) compared to non-Hispanic Whites. CONCLUSIONS:Sexual/gender and and racial/ethnic minority youth reported higher engagement with online tobacco marketing than their heterosexual and non-Hispanic white peers, respectively.

SUBMITTER: Soneji S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6545129 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature