“I’m using cigarettes to quit JUUL”: An analysis of Twitter posts about JUUL cessation.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Unger JB
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7330876 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundAs vaping rapidly becomes more prevalent, social media data can be harnessed to capture individuals' discussions of e-cigarette products quickly. The JUUL vaporizer is the latest advancement in e-cigarette technology, which delivers nicotine to the user from a device that is the size and shape of a thumb drive. Despite JUUL's growing popularity, little research has been conducted on JUUL. Here we utilized Twitter data to determine the public's early experiences with JUUL describing topics of posts.MethodsTwitter posts containing the term "JUUL" were obtained for 1 April 2107 to 14 December 2017. Text classifiers were used to identify topics in posts (n = 81,689).ResultsThe most prevalent topic wasPerson Tagging (use of @username to tag someone in a post) at 20.48% followed by Pods (mentions of JUUL's refill cartridge) at 14.72% and Buying (mentions of purchases) at 10.49%. The topic School (posts indicative of using JUUL or seeing someone use JUUL while at elementary, middle, or high school) comprised 3.66% of posts. The topic of Quit Smoking was rare at 0.29%.ConclusionsData from social media may be used to extend the surveillance of newly introduced vaping products. Findings suggest Twitter users are bonding around, and inquiring about, JUUL on social media. JUUL's discreetness may facilitate its use in places where vaping is prohibited. Educators may be in need of training on how to identify JUUL in the classroom. Despite JUUL's branding as a smoking alternative, very few Twitter users mentioned smoking cessation with JUUL.
| S-EPMC6693487 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionThe public most frequently associates tobacco use solely with pulmonary health risks, despite heart disease being the leading cause of death in smokers. The health perceptions of e-cigarettes, especially cardiovascular health, have not been well studied. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and health perceptions of tweets related to cardiovascular, pulmonary, and brain health - three organ systems for which tobacco use is a major disease risk factor.MethodsWe examined the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and brain health perceptions of vaping and JUUL on Twitter, followed by a content analysis of tweets pertaining to the cardiovascular risks. A Twitter firehose API scraped about 6.2 million publicly available tweets from 2015-2019 that contained vaping-related terms, and a separate dataset of about 1.9 million tweets that contained the term JUUL. A quantitative content analysis (n=2145) of tweets was subsequently conducted to assess the health perceptions of vaping and JUUL. Two trained coders independently assessed the posts and Twitter profiles to determine age (<18 or ≥18 years), sex, race, sentiment towards JUUL, and vaping-related topics.ResultsThe majority of tweets containing vaping or JUUL-related terms did not also contain cardiovascular, pulmonary, or brain health terms (97.99% and 96.67%, respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that youth (<18 years), females, non-White individuals, mention of a flavor, and mention of cardiovascular health harm words were associated with more positive sentiments towards JUUL. Pearson's chi-squared analyses indicated that youth were more likely to mention a JUUL flavor. Females and youth were more likely to reference cardiovascular terms with humor.ConclusionsThe cardiovascular health risks of vaping are not fully recognized by the public. Vulnerable populations such as youth and females reference JUUL with cardiovascular-related words that downplay the severity of tobacco as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
| S-EPMC7791365 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Hookah (or tobacco waterpipe) use has recently become prevalent in the United States. The contexts and experiences associated with hookah use are unclear, yet such information is abundant via publicly available hookah users' social media postings. OBJECTIVE:In this study, we utilized Twitter data to characterize Twitter users' recent experiences with hookah. METHODS:Twitter posts containing the term "hookah" were obtained from April 1, 2017 to 29 March, 2018. Text classifiers were used to identify clusters of topics that tended to co-occur in posts (n=176,706). RESULTS:The most prevalent topic cluster was Person Tagging (use of @username to tag another Twitter account in a post) at 21.58% (38,137/176,706) followed by Promotional or Social Events (eg, mentions of ladies' nights, parties, etc) at 20.20% (35,701/176,706) and Appeal or Abuse Liability (eg, craving, enjoying hookah) at 18.12% (32,013/176,706). Additional topics included Hookah Use Behavior (eg, mentions of taking a "hit" of hookah) at 11.67% (20,603/176,706), Polysubstance Use (eg, hookah use along with other substances) at 10.95% (19,353/176,706), Buying or Selling (eg, buy, order, purchase, sell) at 9.37% (16,552/176,706), and Flavors (eg, mint, cinnamon, watermelon) at 1.66% (2927/176,706). The topic Dislike of Hookah (eg, hate, quit, dislike) was rare at 0.59% (1043/176,706). CONCLUSIONS:Social events, appeal or abuse liability, flavors, and polysubstance use were the common contexts and experiences associated with Twitter discussions about hookah in 2017-2018. Considered in concert with traditional data sources about hookah, these results suggest that social events, appeal or abuse liability, flavors, and polysubstance use warrant consideration as targets in future surveillance, policy making, and interventions addressing hookah.
| S-EPMC6277830 | biostudies-other
Project description:Introduction:E-liquid is the solution aerosolized by e-cigarette devices to produce vapor. Continuously evolving e-liquids, and corresponding devices, can affect user experiences associated with these products. Twitter conversations about e-liquids can capture salient behavioral, social, and communicative cues associated with e-liquids. We analyzed Twitter data to characterize key topics of conversation about e-liquids to inform surveillance, and regulatory efforts. Methods:Twitter posts containing e-liquid-related terms ("e-liquid(s)," "e-juice(s)") were obtained from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018. Text classifiers were used to identify topics of the posts (n?=?15,927). Results:The most prevalent topic was Promotional at 29.35% followed by Flavors at 24.22%, and Person Tagging at 21.47%. Juice Composition was next most prevalent at 17.61% followed by Cannabis at 16.83%, and Nicotine Health Risks at 6.39%. Quit Smoking was rare at 0.57%. Conclusion:These results suggest that flavors, cannabis, health risks of nicotine, and composition warrant consideration as targets in future surveillance, public policy, and interventions addressing the use of e-liquids. Twitter provides ample opportunity to influence the normalization, and uptake, of e-cigarette-related products among non-smokers and youth, unless regulatory restrictions, and counter messaging campaigns are developed to reduce this risk.
| S-EPMC6579902 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionJUUL is an electronic cigarette (ECIG) with a compact form factor. It is prefilled with a liquid that is advertised to contain a high concentration of nicotine salt. JUUL commands 50% of the US ECIG market share, and its wide popularity with underage users has triggered unprecedented actions by the US FDA. Apart from its nicotine salt-containing liquid and compact form, a salient advertised design feature is a control circuit that limits the heating coil temperature, presumably reducing unwanted toxicants. In this study, several tobacco-flavoured JUUL devices were reverse engineered, and their aerosol emissions were studied.MethodsTotal nicotine and its partitioning (freebase and protonated), propylene glycol/vegetable glycerin (PG/VG) ratio, and carbonyls were quantified by gas chromatography (GC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The temperature control functionality of JUUL was investigated using a temperature-controlled bath in which the coil was submerged.ResultsThe liquid nicotine concentration was found to be 69 mg/mL, and the liquid and aerosol PG/VG ratio was found to be 30/70. In 15 puffs, JUUL emitted 2.05 (0.08) mg of nicotine, overwhelmingly in the protonated form. Carbonyl yields were significantly lower than those reported for combustible cigarettes, but similar to other closed-system ECIG devices. The heating coil resistance was 1.6 (0.66) Ohm, while the maximum power delivered by the JUUL device was 8.1 W. The control circuit limited the peak operating temperature to approximately 215C.ConclusionsJUUL emits a high-nicotine concentration aerosol predominantly in the protonated form. JUUL's nicotine-normalised formaldehyde and total aldehyde yields are lower than other previously studied ECIGs and combustible cigarettes.
| S-EPMC7341718 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDiabetes mellitus is a major global public health issue where self-management is critical to reducing disease burden. Social media has been a powerful tool to understand public perceptions. Public perception of the drugs used for the treatment of diabetes may be useful for orienting interventions to increase adherence.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore the public perceptions of anti-diabetic drugs through the analysis of health-related tweets mentioning such medications.MethodsThis study uses an infoveillance social listening approach to monitor public discourse using Twitter data. We coded 4000 tweets from January 1, 2019 to October 1, 2019 containing key terms related to anti-diabetic drugs by using qualitative content analysis. Tweets were coded for whether they were truly about an anti-diabetic drug and whether they were health-related. Health-related tweets were further coded based on who was tweeting, which anti-diabetic drug was being tweeted about, and the content discussed in the tweet. The main outcome of the analysis was the themes identified by analyzing the content of health-related tweets on anti-diabetic drugs.ResultsWe identified 1664 health-related tweets on 33 anti-diabetic drugs. A quarter (415/1664) of the tweets were confirmed to have been from people with diabetes, 17.9% (298/1664) from people posting about someone else, and 2.7% (45/1664) from health care professionals. However, the role of the tweeter was unidentifiable in two-thirds of the tweets. We identified 13 themes, with the health consequences of the cost of anti-diabetic drugs being the most extensively discussed, followed by the efficacy and availability. We also identified issues that patients may conceal from health care professionals, such as purchasing medications from unofficial sources.ConclusionsThis study uses an infoveillance approach using Twitter data to explore public perceptions related to anti-diabetic drugs. This analysis gives an insight into the real-life issues that an individual faces when taking anti-diabetic drugs, and such findings may be incorporated into health policies to improve compliance and efficacy. This study suggests that there is a fear of not having access to anti-diabetic drugs due to cost or physical availability and highlights the impact of the sacrifices made to access anti-diabetic drugs. Along with screening for diabetes-related health issues, health care professionals should also ask their patients about any non-health-related concerns regarding their anti-diabetic drugs. The positive tweets about dietary changes indicate that people with type 2 diabetes may be more open to self-management than what the health care professionals believe.
| S-EPMC7872831 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundStarting in 2019 policies restricting the availability of flavored e-cigarette products were proposed or implemented in the United States to curb vaping by youth. People took to Twitter to voice their opposition, referencing the phrase "Flavors Save Lives." This study documented the emerging themes pertaining to "Flavors Saves Lives" over a 12-month period.MethodsThe study period was from May 1, 2019, to May 1, 2020. A stratified sampling procedure supplied 2500 tweets for analysis. Posts were classified by one or more of the following themes: (1) Political Referendum; (2) Institutional Distrust; (3) Individual Rights; (4) Misinformation; (5) THC Vaping is the Real Problem; (6) Smoking Cessation; (7) Adult Use; and (8) Not a Bot. The temporal pattern of tweets over the year was examined.ResultsPolitical Referendum (76.5%) and Institutional Distrust (31.3%) were the most prominent themes, followed by Not a Bot (11.0%), Individual Rights (10.4%), Adult Use (8.0%), Smoking Cessation (6.6%), Misinformation (5.9%), and THC Vaping is the Real Problem (3.5%). Total tweet frequencies increased in September 2019 and peaked in November 2019 before returning to relatively low numbers. Political Referendum and Institutional Distrust were consistently the most prevalent themes over time.ConclusionTwitter posts with the phrase "Flavors Save Lives" commonly discussed voting against political incumbents and mentioned distrust of government representatives. Findings demonstrated the possibility of near real-time Twitter monitoring of public opposition to flavor bans. These data may be valuable for designing tobacco control information campaigns in the future.Implications(a) Starting in 2019 policies restricting the availability of flavored e-cigarette products were proposed or implemented in the United States to curb vaping by youth. (b) This study content analyzed Twitter posts with the phrase "Flavors Save Lives" from a 12-month period to understand opposition to flavor restrictions. (c) Twitter posts commonly discussed voting against political incumbents and mentioned distrust of government representatives. (d) Findings demonstrated the possibility of near real-time Twitter monitoring of public opposition to flavor bans, and contribute to a more comprehensive assessment of different sub-population's responses to current and proposed tobacco control information policies.
| S-EPMC8517966 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundLittle cigars are growing in popularity in the United States, and Swisher is the market leader. The contexts and experiences associated with the use of Swisher-related products is understudied, but such information is available via publicly available posts on Twitter.ObjectiveThis study aimed to analyze Twitter posts to characterize Twitter users' recent experiences with Swisher-related products.MethodsTwitter posts containing the term "swisher" were analyzed from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018. Text classifiers were used to identify topics in posts (n=81,333).ResultsThe most prevalent topic was Person Tagging (mentioning a Twitter account in a post; 32.77%), followed by Flavors (eg, Grape and Strawberry; 20.96%) and Swisher use (eg, smoke swisher; 17.44%). Additional topics included Cannabis use (eg, blunt, roll, and gut swisher; 6.26%), Appeal (eg, like Swisher; 5.92%), Dislike (eg, posts that showed dissatisfaction with Swisher products; 3.53%), Purchases (eg, buy swisher; 1.90%), and Cigar comparison (eg, mentions of other cigar products including White-owl and Backwoods; 1.64%).ConclusionsThis paper describes common contexts and experiences associated with the use of Swisher little cigars from the population posting on Twitter in 2018. These online messages may have offline consequences for tobacco-related behaviors, indicating the need for countering from public health officials. Findings should inform us about targets for surveillance, policy, and interventions addressing Swisher little cigars as well as communication planning and tobacco product counter messaging on Twitter.
| S-EPMC6676793 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundIncreases in electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) use among high school students from 2017 to 2019 appear to be associated with the increasing popularity of the ENDS device JUUL.ObjectiveWe employed a content analysis approach in conjunction with natural language processing methods using Twitter data to understand salient themes regarding JUUL use on Twitter, sentiment towards JUUL, and underage JUUL use.MethodsBetween July 2018 and August 2019, 11,556 unique tweets containing a JUUL-related keyword were collected. We manually annotated 4000 tweets for JUUL-related themes of use and sentiment. We used 3 machine learning algorithms to classify positive and negative JUUL sentiments as well as underage JUUL mentions.ResultsOf the annotated tweets, 78.80% (3152/4000) contained a specific mention of JUUL. Only 1.43% (45/3152) of tweets mentioned using JUUL as a method of smoking cessation, and only 6.85% (216/3152) of tweets mentioned the potential health effects of JUUL use. Of the machine learning methods used, the random forest classifier was the best performing algorithm among all 3 classification tasks (ie, positive sentiment, negative sentiment, and underage JUUL mentions).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that a vast majority of Twitter users are not using JUUL to aid in smoking cessation nor do they mention the potential health benefits or detriments of JUUL use. Using machine learning algorithms to identify tweets containing underage JUUL mentions can support the timely surveillance of JUUL habits and opinions, further assisting youth-targeted public health intervention strategies.
| S-EPMC7495253 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The evolution of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has changed the way we communicate. Access to the Internet and social networks has even changed the way we organise ourselves socially. Despite advances in this field, research on the use of social networks in political discourse and citizens’ perceptions of public policy remains scarce. So, the empirical study of politicians’ discourse on social networks in relation to citizens’ perception of public and fiscal policies according to their political affinity is of particular interest. The aim of the research is, therefore, to analyse positioning, from a dual perspective. Firstly, the study analyses the positioning in the discourse of the communication campaigns posted on social networks of Spain’s most prominent politicians. And secondly, it evaluates whether this positioning is reflected in citizens’ opinions about the public and fiscal policies being implemented in Spain. To this end, a qualitative semantic analysis and a positioning map is performed on a total of 1553 tweets published between 1 June and 31 July 2021 by the leaders of the top ten Spanish political parties. In parallel, a cross-sectional quantitative analysis is carried out, also through positioning analysis, based on the database of the Public Opinion and Fiscal Policy Survey of July 2021 by the Sociological Research Centre (CIS), whose sample is 2849 Spanish citizens. The results show a significant difference in the discourse of political leaders’ social network posts—which is more pronounced between right-wing and left-wing parties—and only some differences in citizens’ perception of public policies according to their political affinity. This work contributes to identifying the differentiation and positioning of the main parties and helps to guide the discourse of their posts.
| S-EPMC10248327 | biostudies-literature