A longitudinal analysis of electronic cigarette forum participation

Sarah F Maloney; Eric K Soule; Sherilyn Palafox; Keaton McFadden; Mignonne C Guy; Thomas Eissenberg; Pebbles Fagan

doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.08.006

A longitudinal analysis of electronic cigarette forum participation

Addict Behav. 2019 Apr:91:75-81. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.08.006. Epub 2018 Aug 7.

Authors

Sarah F Maloney¹, Eric K Soule², Sherilyn Palafox³, Keaton McFadden⁴, Mignonne C Guy⁵, Thomas Eissenberg², Pebbles Fagan⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1112 East Clay Street Suite B-08, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; Center for the Study of Tobacco Products, College of Humanities and Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1112 East Clay Street Suite B-08, Richmond, VA 23298, USA. Electronic address: maloneysf@mymail.vcu.edu.
² Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1112 East Clay Street Suite B-08, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; Center for the Study of Tobacco Products, College of Humanities and Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1112 East Clay Street Suite B-08, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
³ Cancer Prevention and Control Program(,) University of Hawaii Cancer Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 701 Ilalo Street, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA. Electronic address: palafox3@hawaii.edu.
⁴ Department of Social Work, Portland State University, 1825 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201, USA. Electronic address: keaton2@pdx.edu.
⁵ Department of African American Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, 816 W. Franklin Street, Room 201, Richmond, VA 23284-3509, USA; Center for the Study of Tobacco Products, College of Humanities and Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1112 East Clay Street Suite B-08, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
⁶ Center for the Study of Tobacco, Department Health Behavior and Health Education, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham, #820, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA; Center for the Study of Tobacco Products, College of Humanities and Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1112 East Clay Street Suite B-08, Richmond, VA 23298, USA. Electronic address: pfagan@uams.edu.

Abstract

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) Internet forums are social networking websites that allow members around the world to share information and personal experiences about e-cigarettes. However, little is known about their popularity and reach. This longitudinal study investigated indicators of participation (membership, number of discussion boards, and number of message posts) in 77 e-cigarette forums from February 2016 to January 2017. Autoregressive time-series analyses were used to assess monthly changes in participation among small (<1000 members), medium (1000-5000 members), and large (>5000 members) forums that were active at all 12 observation time points. Paired sample t-tests were conducted to compare changes in participation before and after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the regulation of e-cigarettes. Analyses revealed significant and consistent increases in forum membership (R²s > 0.72; ps < 0.01), discussion boards (R²s > 0.97; ps < 0.001), and message posts (R²s > 0.96; ps < 0.001) across all forum sizes during the 12-month period. No differences were found in participation indicators pre- and post-regulation announcement. E-cigarette forums provide real-time information on the levels of participation over time and therefore may be an important platform to study interactions among consumers and how these interactions shape e-cigarette knowledge, attitudes and use behaviors.

Keywords: Electronic cigarette forum; Electronic cigarettes; Forum; Longitudinal observation; Vape; Vaping.

MeSH terms

Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems*
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Online Social Networking*
Social Media / trends*
Vaping*

Grants and funding

P50 DA036105/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States