Catriona Rooke

News media representations of electronic cigarettes: an analysis of newspaper coverage in the UK and Scotland

Objective Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) have recently been attracting interest for their potential as a less harmful alternative to smoking, their rising popularity and the regulatory issues they raise. The news media can play an important role in shaping public perceptions of new technologies. It is, therefore, important to understand the ways the news media present ENDS. This paper examines how ENDS are represented in the UK and in the Scottish press. Methods Twelve national UK and Scottish newspapers and the three most popular online news sources were searched between 2007 and 2012. A thematic analysis was conducted to explore how the meanings, uses and users of ENDS are presented, and whether and how this has changed. Results Newspaper coverage of ENDS increased substantially over this period. Five key themes emerged from the analysis: getting around smokefree legislation; risk and uncertainty; healthier choice; celebrity use; price. Conclusions Drawing on the diffusion of innovations theory, we suggest that newspaper constructions of ENDS provide readers with important information about what ENDS are for, how they work, and their relative advantages. These themes, and dominance of more positive meanings, raise a number of issues for tobacco control, including concerns around celebrity use and promotion; the impact of increasing ENDS use on social norms around smoking; their potential to undermine smokefree legislation; and their promotion as effective cessation aids.

Smokers’ and ex-smokers’ understanding of electronic cigarettes: a qualitative study

Objective To explore among a diverse range of smokers and recent ex-smokers, particularly those from disadvantaged groups, how nicotine-containing products, particularly electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), are understood and experienced. Methods Qualitative study of 64 smokers and ex-smokers in Central Scotland. Twelve focus groups and 11 individual interviews were carried out with a range of purposively selected groups. Results Nicotine replacement therapies and e-cigarettes were regarded as being very different products. Nicotine replacement therapies were viewed as medical products for smokers who want to quit, while e-cigarettes emerged as an ambiguous product whose meanings are still being negotiated. Participants’ attitudes and intentions about smoking and quitting were especially important in shaping their understanding of these products. Four main interpretations of e-cigarettes were identified: a more satisfying replacement for smoking, an ambiguous but potentially useful device, a less desirable cigarette and a threat to smoking cessation. The acceptability of continued nicotine addiction and the similarity of e-cigarettes to conventional cigarettes were central themes on which participants held conflicting views. There was considerable uncertainty among participants around the constituents and safety of e-cigarettes. Conclusions Different groups of smokers bring diverse expectations, requirements and concerns to their evaluations and therefore to the potential use of nicotine-containing products. The ambiguity around e-cigarettes in public health debates and medical practice is reflected in the positions and concerns of smokers. There is a need for both clear, up-to-date trustworthy information about their benefits and risks, and stronger regulation.

Tobacco point-of-sale displays in England: a snapshot survey of current practices

Background Tobacco displays at the point of sale (PoS) are an important means for the tobacco industry to communicate with consumers. With regulations prohibiting PoS displays recently having come into force in Ireland, passed into law in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and some Australian states, and being considered in New Zealand, Finland and Brazil, this is an increasingly important issue. This study explores the nature of displays, the extent to which they are tobacco industry funded, and the relation between the tobacco companies and retailers. Methods Three areas were chosen to gain a snapshot of PoS displays in England. Over 100 retailers were visited, with interviews taking place on site. Information was gathered on the type and size of tobacco display, who was paying for the display, requirements and incentives, and visits by industry representatives. Results The majority of retailers had gantries provided by tobacco companies. A minority of these were fitted with automated dispensers called retail vending machines. Attractive lighting and colour were often used to highlight particular products. Most retailers were being visited by industry representatives who checked displays. Some retailers also reported incentives offered to them for displaying products. Conclusions The results suggest that the tobacco industry presence and control in the retail environment is significant. Tobacco companies overwhelmingly provided tobacco gantries in the shops surveyed and influenced displays through a combination of requirements and incentives. The extensive involvement of tobacco companies in providing and monitoring retail displays suggests the importance of implementing policies to end this form of advertising.

Smoking spaces and practices in pubs, bars and clubs : young adults and the English smokefree legislation

Young adulthood is an important but overlooked period in the development of smoking behaviour. We know little about the impact of smokefree policies on this group. In a secondary analysis of longitudinal, qualitative interview data we explore smoking practices in young adulthood, the role of smoking in the spaces of the night-time economy, and the impact of smokefree legislation. Participants carefully managed their smoking in different spaces in relation to the self they wished to present. This was shaped by the transitional nature of young adulthood. Smoking played a role in constructing time-out periods from the demands of everyday life in a similar way to alcohol use. The restrictions imposed by the smokefree legislation quickly became normal for most; however, the experience of smoking was influenced by the nature and quality of smoking spaces. The re-spatialisation of smoking necessitated by the smokefree legislation may reaffirm processes of social denormalisation and stigmatisation of smoking, whilst simultaneously allowing young adult smokers to produce, in some contexts, a positive, fun, sociable smoker identity.

E-cigarettes, vaping and performativity in the context of tobacco denormalisation.

Abstract E‐cigarettes are devices through which a nicotine solution is ‘vapourised’ and inhaled by the user. Unlike cigarettes, the process involves no tobacco combustion. However, the inhalation and exhalation of vapour is reminiscent of smoking and there is debate about the possible harms and benefits of e‐cigarette use, including the ‘renormalisation’ of smoking. Despite these debates, there has been little exploration into the embodied and semiotic similarities between smoking and vaping. This paper views the practices of vaping and smoking through the lens of performativity that is, the accumulation of meaning associated with the habits over time and space. Through in‐depth interviews, we explore how young adults from primarily disadvantaged areas in Scotland, understand the similarity in practices between smoking and vaping. Participants talked about financial barriers to using different types of e‐cigarettes, and how their use reflected their views on smoking cessation. They also discussed the embodied similarities between smoking and vaping, with divergent opinions on whether this continuance of habit was beneficial or not, revealing still developing and ambiguous norms around performativity. The norms of vaping were also frequently discussed, with participants’ experiences and views reflecting the contested position of vaping in an environment where cigarette smoking is denormalised.