title: A content analysis of electronic cigarette manufacturer websites in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The goal of this study was to summarise the websites of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) manufacturers in China and describe how they market their products.
  
  
  METHODS
  From March to April 2013, we used two search keywords 'electronic cigarette' (Dian Zi Xiang Yan in Chinese) and 'manufacturer' (Sheng Chan Chang Jia in Chinese) to search e-cigarette manufacturers in China on Alibaba, an internet-based e-commerce business that covers business-to-business online marketplaces, retail and payment platforms, shopping search engine and data-centric cloud computing services. A total of 18 websites of 12 e-cigarette manufacturers in China were analysed by using a coding guide which includes 14 marketing claims.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Health-related benefits were claimed most frequently (89%), followed by the claims of no secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure (78%), and utility for smoking cessation (67%). A wide variety of flavours, celebrity endorsements and e-cigarettes specifically for women were presented. None of the websites had any age restriction on access, references to government regulation or lawsuits. Instruction on how to use e-cigarettes was on 17% of the websites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Better regulation of e-cigarette marketing messages on manufacturers' websites is needed in China. The frequent claims of health benefits, smoking cessation, strategies appealing to youth and women are concerning, especially targeting women. Regulators should prohibit marketing claims of health benefits, no SHS exposure and value for smoking cessation in China until health-related, quality and safety issues have been adequately addressed. To avoid e-cigarette use for initiation to nicotine addiction, messages targeting youth and women should be prohibited.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health & Aging, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grana
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: Pamela M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: Stanton A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Glantz
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising; D000367:Age Factors; D002681:China; D003132:Commerce / Q000191:economics; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D066192:Manufacturing Industry / Q000191:economics; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013649:Taste; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*
keywords: Advertising and Promotion; Electronic nicotine delivery devices; Low/Middle income country