Youth say ads for flavored e-liquids are for them.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION\nE-cigarettes are the most popular tobacco product among adolescents and young adults ( AYA ) and are available in many flavors. The e-cigarette industry argues that flavors are not meant to appeal to youth, yet no study has asked youth what age group they think ads for flavored e-liquids are targeting. We asked AYA which age group they thought ads for flavored e-liquids targeted.\n\n\nMETHODS\nIn 2016 as part of a larger survey, a random sample of 255 youth from across California (62.4% female, mean age\u202f=\u202f17.5, SD\u202f=\u202f1.7) viewed eight ads, presented in randomized order, for fruit-, dessert-, alcohol-, and coffee-flavored e-liquids and indicated the age group they thought the ads targeted: younger, same age, a little older, or much older than them. Population means and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using bootstrapping (100,000 replicate samples).\n\n\nRESULTS\nMost participants (93.7%) indicated the cupcake man flavor ad targeted an audience of people younger than they. Over half felt ads for smoothy (68.2%), cherry (63.9%), vanilla cupcake (58%), and caramel cappuccino (50.4%) targeted their age and for no flavor ad did most feel the primary target age group was much older.\n\n\nCONCLUSIONS\nYouth believe ads for flavored e-liquids target individuals about their age, not older adults. Findings support the need to regulate flavored e-liquids and associated ads to reduce youth appeal, which ultimately could reduce youth use of e-cigarettes.