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[at]ucsd.edu


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

Academic Presentations, Media Coverage, Blogs, etc.

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

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

Nali M, Purushothaman V, Qing X, Cuomo R, Mackey T. Assessing compliance of online vaping shops to the 2019 Massachusetts product sales ban


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

Purushothaman V, Cuomo RE, Li J, Nali M, Mackey T. Association between tobacco retail density and prevalence of smoking, vaping in California


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

Nali M, Purushothaman V, Qing X, Cuomo R, Mackey T. Characterizing and assessing compliance of online vaping sales in the context of state sales bans

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

Xu Q, Yang J, Cai M, Haupt M, Nali M, Mackey T. Characterization of ENDS industry coordination and influence on CA tobacco control policy on Facebook


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

Purushothaman VL, Cuomo RE, Li J, Nali M, Mackey TK . Variation in the association between smoking prevalence and number of tobacco retailers in California


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Poster

Shah NA, Nali M, Bardier C, Li J, Mackey TK. Machine Learning Analysis for the Characterization of Vape/E-cigarette Marketing and Sales on Instagram

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

Purushothaman V, Cuomo RE, Leas E, Mackey T, Strong D. Longitudinal trends in tobacco and vape retail density in California (2015-2019)


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

Cuomo RE, Yang J, Purushothaman VL, Nali M, Li J, Mackey TK. Geospatial age disparities for California tobacco and vape shops


Project Publications

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

  • Number of Publications:
Published
Other
In review
In progress
In review
Haupt R, Xu Q, Yang J, Cai M, Mackey TK. Network Analysis of Vaping Industry Influence and Mobilization on Facebook; under review.

Abstract: This study uses social network analysis (SNA) to investigate how the alternative tobacco industry uses Facebook to mobilize online users to influence national and state-level tobacco control policy outcomes. Data was collected from local and national alternative tobacco Facebook groups and network ties were constructed based on users reactions to posts (e.g., like, love) and comments. Results show that vape industry employees were more likely to engage within these networks and that vape employees were also more likely to be influential members. Comparisons between sub-networks 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 legislative events, suggesting strategic online engagement and increased mobilization of online activity for the purposes of influencing policy outcomes. Results from this study provide important insights into how advocacy groups in the tobacco industry use social media to mobilize their online constituents at the local and Federal level and provides discussion of possible solutions to counter pro-vaping narratives.


In progress
Xu Q, Yang J, Cai M, Haupt M, Nali M, Mackey TK. Digital Surveillance to Identify Policy Mobilization and Influence on Facebook. in preparation.

To be added


In progress
Purushothaman V, Cuomo RE, Li J, Mackey TK. Examining the Association Between California Tobacco and Alternative Tobacco Products Licensed Seller Density and Support and Opposition to Tobacco Control Legislation, in preparation.

To be added


In progress
Purushothaman V, Cuomo RE, Li J, Nali M, Mackey TK. Association between Tobacco Retail Density and Prevalence of Smoking and Vaping in California, in preparation.

To be added


In review
Purushothaman V, Cuomo RE, Li J, Nali M, Mackey TK. Association between Tobacco Retail Density and Prevalence of Smoking and Vaping in California, in preparation.

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

  • Number of Data Assets: 3
Dataset
Data Dictionary
Other
Dataset

Data file containing all CA licensed tobacco retail stores (2015-2020)


Data Dictionary

Data dictionary of data file for CA licensed retail store outlets


Dataset

Dataset of voting record file by zip code for CA Proposition 56



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