Loopholes, Enforcement Challenges, and Tobacco Industry Interference with Tobacco Control Policies

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Background. Enactment of tobacco control policies is a vital response to the ongoing epidemic of adolescent e-cigarette use in the US and is believed to have contributed to the decline in youth e-cigarette use from 2019 to 2020. During 2019-2020, two federal laws were enacted: (1) Tobacco 21 (increased the minimum legal sales age for tobacco to 21 years; T21) and (2) a partial Flavor Restriction law eliminated pod/cartridge-based e-cigarette products that contained flavors other than mint/menthol. While traditional policy evaluations (e.g., compliance checks, document analyses, and surveys) have been employed to evaluate policy impact, complementary and innovative social media-based methodologies can be used to systematically examine organic public discussion about policy-relevant issues. Such data are particularly valuable due to the ability to uncover critical policy-relevant information, taking less time than traditional methodologies. Building on my experience and learning from my research mentors’ expertise, I will conduct the first comprehensive social media assessment aimed at uncovering highly valuable yet often difficult-to-ascertain information regarding emerging tobacco access laws (that have already been enacted or are currently being discussed) in three areas: policy efficacy, enforcement challenges, and industry interference. Research. The overarching goal of the proposed investigation is to reduce youth/young adult access to tobacco products. Therefore, in this proposal, we will (1) identify loopholes that may circumvent emerging federal tobacco access laws; (2) identify key challenges related to enforcement of FDA regulated tobacco access laws; and (3) investigate tobacco industry supported interference with emerging FDA regulated tobacco access laws. To achieve these aims, we will use a specialized software and a comprehensive list of social media-optimized search terms to collect data from several social media platforms (e.g., Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook). Using a two-step process, we will ensure search strings are comprehensive, feasible, specific, and informal. After developing a codebook to explore sentiment (positive, negative, neutral, and mixed/both) about tobacco youth access laws, two trained independent coders will code a sub-sample of collected data, stratifying by month, day, and time. Finally, content analyses and social network analyses will be used to explore loopholes, enforcement challenges, and interference with emerging tobacco access laws. Training. Pedagogically, the training plan for this proposed K01 is comprised of didactic training (certificate program, workshop, coursework, seminars), mentoring (directed research, conference calls, in-person contact hours, readings), and dissemination deliverables (publications, presentations, and proposals) required to complete the project on the projected timeline. Outcomes from these research aims will complement my career-development aims (i.e., developing expertise in tobacco control policies, social media analysis, and social network analysis) that focus on the intersection between health, policy, communication, and technology.