ALTERNATIVE AND EMERGING TOBACCO INDUSTRY INFLUENCE PROJECT

Funded by the California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program through a High-Impact Pilot Grant at UC San Diego - School of Medicine, this project uses digital surveillance tools, big data, machine learning, and other interdisciplinary approaches to detect and characterize how the industry mobilizes on social media platforms to influence tobacco control policy


RESEARCH TEAM MEMBERS

Meet our interdisciplinary research team members that were involved in this project from shared fields of public health, cognitive science, data science, and policy and legal analysis.

Image

Project PI:
Tim K. Mackey, PhD

Institution:
UC San Diego

Contact information:
tmackey@ucsd.edu


Team Members:
Raphael E. Cuomo, PhD
Vidya Purushothaman, MPH
Michael Haupt, MA
Qing Xu, MAS
Neal Shah, BS

Project Publications

This section includes academic papers that have been published, are in press, are under review, or are in progress


Label Key
Published
In progress
Under review
Other
Published

Authors: Haupt MR, Xu Q, Yang J, Cai M, Mackey TK
Journal: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Year Published: 2021
Type: Original Research
Abstract:
Background
In response to recent policy efforts to regulate tobacco and vaping products, the vaping industry has been aggressive in mobilizing opposition by using a network of manufacturers, trade associations, and tobacco user communities, and by appealing to the general public. One strategy the alternative tobacco industry uses to mobilize political action is coordinating on social
media platforms, such as the social networking site Facebook. However, few studies have specifically assessed how platforms such as Facebook are used to influence public sentiment and attitudes towards tobacco control policy.

Objective
This study used social network analysis to examine how the alternative tobacco industry uses Facebook to mobilize online users to influence tobacco control policy outcomes with a focus on the state of California.

Methods
Data were collected from local and national alternative tobacco Facebook groups that had affiliations with activities in the state of California. Network ties were constructed based on users’reactions to posts (eg, “like” and “love”) and comments to characterize political mobilization networks.

Results
Findings show that alternative tobacco industry employees were more likely to engage within these networks and that these employees were also more likely to be influential members (ie, be more active) in the network. Comparisons between subnetworks show that communication within the local alternative tobacco advocacy group network was less dense and more centralized in contrast to a national advocacy group that had overall higher levels of engagement among members. A timeline analysis found that a higher number of influential posts that disseminated widely across networks occurred during e-cigarette–related legislative events, suggesting strategic online engagement and increased mobilization of online activity for the purposes of
influencing policy outcomes.

Conclusions
Results from this study provide important insights into how tobacco industry–related advocacy groups leverage the Facebook platform to mobilize their online constituents in an effort to influence public perceptions and coordinate to defeat tobacco control efforts at the local, state, and federal level. Study results reveal one part of a vast network of socially enabled alternative tobacco industry actors and constituents that use Facebook as a mobilization point to support goals of the alternative tobacco industry.
Citation:
Haupt MR, Xu Q, Yang J, Cai M, Mackey TK. Network Analysis of Vaping Industry Influence and Mobilization on Facebook. J Med Internet Res. 2021; in press


Published

Authors: Xu Q, Yang J, Haupt MR, Cai M, Nali M, Mackey TK
Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Year Published: 2021
Type: Article
Abstract:
Growing popularity of electronic nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS) has coincided with a need to strengthen tobacco-control policy. In response, the ENDS industry has taken actions to mobilize against public health measures, including coordination on social media platforms. To explore this phenomenon, data mining was used to collect public posts on two Facebook public group pages: the California Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternatives Association (CCASAA) and the community page of the Northern California Chapter of SFATA (NC-SFATA). Posts were manually annotated to characterize themes associated with industry political interference and user interaction. We collected 288 posts from the NC-SFATA and 411 posts from CCASAA. A total of 522 (74.7%) posts were categorized as a form of political interference, with 339 posts (64.9%) from CCASAA and 183 posts (35.1%) from NC-SFATA. We identified three different categories of policy interference- related posts: (1) providing updates on ENDS-related policy at the federal, state, and local levels; (2) sharing opinions about ENDS-related policies; (3) posts related to scientific information related to vaping; and (4) calls to action to mobilize against tobacco/ENDS policies. Our findings indicate that pro-tobacco social media communities on Facebook, driven by strategic activities of trade associations and their members, may act as focal points for anti policy information dissemination, grass-roots mobilization, and industry coordination that needs further research.
Citation:
Xu Q, Yang J, Haupt MR, Cai M, Nali M, Mackey TK. Digital Surveillance to Identify California Alternative and Emerging Tobacco Industry Policy Influence and Mobilization on Facebook. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health. 2021; 18(21), 11150; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111150


Under review
Longitudinal Analysis of Tobacco and Vape Retail Density in California

Authors: Purushothaman V, Cuomo RE, Leas E, Li J, Strong D, Mackey TK


Under review
Examining the Association Between California Tobacco and Alternative Tobacco Products Licensed Seller Density and Support and Opposition to Tobacco Control Legislation.

Authors: Purushothaman V, Cuomo RE, Li J, Mackey TK


In progress
Association between Tobacco Retail Density and Prevalence of Smoking and Vaping in California.

Authors: Purushothaman V, Cuomo RE, Li J, Nali M, Mackey TK



Academic Presentations, Media Coverage, Blogs, etc.

This section includes oral and poster presentations at conferences, news and media coverage, and other research dissemination activities


Label Key
Poster
Other
Presentation
Media
Stacks Image 283267
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7nlyxglM7s&list=PLbcaFEh80BFlMhsUAMF2QNRp0mqufxVGQ&index=5,[iframe]
Poster

Assessing compliance of online vaping shops to the 2019 Massachusetts product sales ban


+

Authors: Nali M, Purushothaman V, Qing X, Cuomo R, Mackey TK


Stacks Image 285539
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beCjyQ5rb1Q
Poster

Association between tobacco retail density and prevalence of smoking, vaping in California


+

Authors: Purushothaman V, Cuomo RE, Li J, Nali M, Mackey TK


Stacks Image 285557
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBH1zywpXCc
Poster

Characterizing and assessing compliance of online vaping sales in the context of state sales bans

+

Authors: Nali M, Purushothaman V, Qing X, Cuomo R, Mackey TK

Stacks Image 285505
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6ZGx8wrQN8&list=PLbcaFEh80BFlMhsUAMF2QNRp0mqufxVGQ&index=4
Poster

Characterization of ENDS industry coordination and influence on CA tobacco control policy on Facebook

+

Authors: Xu Q, Yang J, Cai M, Haupt M, Nali M, Mackey TK


Stacks Image 285487
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBH1zywpXCc
Poster

Variation in the association between smoking prevalence and number of tobacco retailers in California

+

Authors: Purushothaman VL, Cuomo RE, Li J, Nali M, Mackey TK



Stacks Image 285574

Poster

Machine Learning Analysis for the Characterization of Vape/E-cigarette Marketing and Sales on Instagram

+

Authors: Shah NA, Nali M, Bardier C, Li J, Mackey TK

Stacks Image 285522
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beCjyQ5rb1Q
Poster

Longitudinal trends in tobacco and vape retail density in California (2015-2019)


+

Authors: Purushothaman V, Cuomo RE, Leas E, Mackey T, Strong D


Stacks Image 282396
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBH1zywpXCc
Poster

Geospatial age disparities for California tobacco and vape shops


+

Authors: Cuomo RE, Yang J, Purushothaman VL, Nali M, Li J, Mackey TK


Project Data Resources

This section includes project datasets that can be downloaded for further research purposes. Due to different restrictions, some of the data has had fields removed. For details please contact study team


Label Key
Dataset
Codebook
Data Dictionary
Other

© 2017 Global Health Policy and Data Institute