title: A Randomized Trial of the Effect of E-cigarette TV Advertisements on Intentions to Use E-cigarettes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Adolescents' use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and exposure to e-cigarette TV advertising have increased in recent years, despite questions about their safety. The current study tests whether exposure to e-cigarette TV advertisements influences intentions to use e-cigarettes in the future and related attitudes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A parallel-group randomized controlled experiment was conducted and analyzed in 2014 using an online survey with a convenience sample of 3,655 U.S. adolescents aged 13-17 years who had never tried e-cigarettes. Adolescents in the treatment group viewed four e-cigarette TV advertisements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adolescents in the treatment group reported a greater likelihood of future e-cigarette use compared with the control group. ORs for the treatment group were 1.54 (p=0.001) for trying an e-cigarette soon; 1.43 (p=0.003) for trying an e-cigarette within the next year; and 1.29 (p=0.02) for trying an e-cigarette if a best friend offered one. Adolescents in the treatment group had higher odds of agreeing that e-cigarettes can be used in places where cigarettes are not allowed (OR=1.71, p<0.001); can be used without affecting those around you (OR=1.83, p<0.001); are a safer alternative to cigarettes (OR=1.19, p=0.01); and are less toxic (OR=1.16, p=0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exposure to e-cigarette advertising had relatively large and consistent effects across experimental outcomes. Together with the simultaneous increase in e-cigarette advertising exposure and e-cigarette use among adolescents, findings suggest that e-cigarette advertising is persuading adolescents to try this novel product. This raises concerns that continued unregulated e-cigarette advertising will contribute to potential individual- and population-level harm.
authors.affiliation: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Electronic address: mcf@rti.org.
authors.forename: Matthew C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Farrelly
authors.affiliation: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Duke
authors.affiliation: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Erik C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Crankshaw
authors.affiliation: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Matthew E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Eggers
authors.affiliation: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Youn O
authors.initials: YO
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Nonnemaker
authors.affiliation: RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Annice E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee, Florida.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Porter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000329:Advertising; D001294:Attitude to Health; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States