Do synthetic nicotine brands adhere to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for tobacco marketing, and how is the presence of a health warning associated with user engagement on Instagram? Findings In this cross-sectional study of 2071 Instagram posts for 25 synthetic nicotine brands, only 263 posts (13%) adhered to FDA health warning requirements. Posts advertising flavored products received more likes and comments, and those with health warnings received fewer comments, indicating that compliance with FDA guidelines reduces user engagement. Meaning these findings suggest that enforcing FDA-compliant health warnings on social media posts of synthetic nicotine products may reduce youth engagement with tobacco marketing on social media.
Publication: JAMA Open
Co-Authors: Jiaxi Wu (University of Pennsylvania), Briana M. Trifiro (Boston University), Lynsie R. Ranker (Boston University), Juan Manuel Origgi (Boston University), Emelia J. Benjamin (Boston University), Rose Marie Robertson (Vanderbilt University), Aruni Bhatnagar (University of Louisville), Andrew C. Stokes (Boston University), Ziming Xuan (Boston University), Derry Wijaya (Boston University), Bryan Plummer (Boston University), Jennifer Cornachhione Ross (Boston Unviersity), Jessica L. Fetterman (Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine)