According to e-cigarette industry news from China, a new study shows that in recent years, the number of times U.S. teenagers have viewed e-cigarette TV ads has increased by more than 250%. Researchers said that unless regulations reduce e-cigarette adver
According to news from China’s electronic cigarette industry: A new study shows that the number of times American teenagers have viewed e-cigarette television advertisements has increased by over 250% in recent years. Researchers state that if e-cigarette advertising is not curtailed through regulations or public health information, excessive exposure to e-cigarette ads will lead to more teenagers using e-cigarettes. The lead author of this study, Jennifer Duke, from a nonprofit organization in North Carolina's Research Triangle—RTI International, stated: "The research shows that young people are being exposed to ongoing marketing about the benefits of e-cigarettes. This has a significant impact on television." Concerns about e-cigarette use among teenagers and young adults include the potential effects of nicotine on brain development, the uncertain safety of inhaled vapor, and the possibility that nicotine may lead to the use of traditional cigarettes. Duke said: "I believe that e-cigarettes, as a gateway product to future use of traditional cigarettes, could pose a public health risk." Unlike traditional cigarettes and other tobacco products, e-cigarette advertising is not subject to federal law. The proportion of young people who have used e-cigarettes is steadily increasing. Duke and her colleagues wrote in an article in the journal Pediatrics that this figure has risen from about 3% in 2011 to 7% in 2012, more than doubling. She said: "We believe it is important to observe trends in advertising." By analyzing data from Nielsen ratings, researchers identified marketing patterns for e-cigarette ads from January 2011 to September 2013. To assess young people's exposure to e-cigarette advertising, they used Nielsen's Target Rating Points (TRPs) system, which calculates the proportion of a specific demographic among all viewers of an advertisement. For example, if a television advertisement has a "youth target rating point" of 50, it means that 10% of young viewers watched it 5 times or 50% of young viewers watched it once during a specific time frame. From 2011 to the first half of 2012, the target rating points for e-cigarette ads among children aged 12 to 17 were below 100. From April to June 2013, this number rose to 347, then dropped to 275 in September. During the same period, in five specific target markets, including Columbus, Ohio, and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, the target rating points for e-cigarette ads among young viewers exceeded 1000. Researchers wrote that nationally, this could mean that from October 2012 to September 2013, 50% of children in this age group viewed 21 e-cigarette ads, or it could mean that 80% of teenagers viewed 13 ads. The growth throughout the study period indicates that from 2011 to 2013, the target rating points for e-cigarette ads increased by 256%. The target rating points for young adults aged 18 to 24 viewing ads were even higher than those for teenagers, increasing by 321% from 2011 to 2013. The significant increase in target rating points for teenagers and young adults viewing e-cigarette ads was largely driven by the blu eCigs brand e-cigarettes—produced by cigarette manufacturer Lorillard Tobacco Company. blu eCigs stated in a statement to Reuters Health that: "We have proactively set the timing and placement of blu eCigs ads to minimize potential impacts on minors. One of our goals is to ensure that our television ads are only aired on media where the audience is 85% or more adult viewers." The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed e-cigarette regulations in April, which are still under a 75-day discussion period. In May, a group of city health officials urged the FDA to implement regulations for e-cigarettes similar to those for traditional cigarette products, including advertising restrictions. Duke believes that e-cigarettes need to be regulated; otherwise, the situation may remain unchanged. She said: "I believe that if current trends continue, the number of teenagers and young adults using e-cigarettes will continue to rise."
