Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2018 Aug:83:142-147.
doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.10.015. Epub 2017 Oct 24.

Pro-tobacco advertisement exposure among African American smokers: An ecological momentary assessment study

Cendrine D Robinson  1 , Christine Muench  2 , Emily Brede  3 , Romano Endrighi  4 , Edwin H Szeto  3 , Joanna R Sells  3 , John P Lammers  3 , Kolawole S Okuyemi  5 , Grant Izmirlian  6 , Andrew J Waters  3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Pro-tobacco advertisement exposure among African American smokers: An ecological momentary assessment study

Cendrine D Robinson et al. Addict Behav. 2018 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: Many African Americans live in communities with a disproportionately high density of tobacco advertisements compared to Whites. Some research indicates that point-of-sale advertising is associated with impulse purchases of cigarettes and smoking. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) can be used to examine associations between tobacco advertisement exposure and smoking variables in the natural environment.

Methods: Non-treatment seeking African American smokers were given a mobile device for 2weeks (N=56). They were prompted four times per day and responded to questions about recent exposure to tobacco advertisements. Participants were also asked to indicate the number of cigarettes smoked, and if they made any purchase, or an impulse purchase, since the last assessment. Linear mixed models (LMMs) analyzed between- and within-subject associations between exposure and outcomes.

Results: Participants reported seeing at least one advertisement on 33% of assessments. Of those assessments, they reported seeing menthol advertisements on 87% of assessments. Between-subject analyses revealed that participants who on average saw more advertisements were generally more likely to report purchasing cigarettes and to purchase cigarettes on impulse. Within-subject analyses revealed that when an individual participant reported seeing more advertisements than usual they were more likely to have reported purchasing cigarettes, making an impulse purchase and smoking more cigarettes during the same period, but not the subsequent time period.

Conclusions: Many African American smokers are frequently exposed to pro-tobacco marketing. Advertisement exposure is cross-sectionally associated with impulse purchases and smoking. Future research should assess prospective associations in more detail.

Keywords: African Americans; Ecological momentary assessment; Minority health; Tobacco; Tobacco advertising.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: All authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Within subject association of advertisement exposure and smoking
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ahluwalia JS, Okuyemi K, Nollen N, Choi WS, Kaur H, Pulvers K, Mayo MS. The effects of nicotine gum and counseling among African American light smokers: a 2× 2 factorial design. Addiction. 2006;101(6):883–891. - PubMed
    1. Alexander LA, Trinidad DR, Sakuma KLK, Pokhrel P, Herzog TA, Clanton MS, Fagan P. Why we must continue to investigate menthol’s role in the African American smoking paradox. Nicotine & Tobacco Research. 2016;18(suppl 1):S91–S101. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anderson SJ. Marketing of menthol cigarettes and consumer perceptions: a review of tobacco industry documents. Tobacco Control. 2011;20(Suppl 2):ii20–ii28. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Benowitz NL, Jacob P, Hall S, Tsoh J, Ahijevych K, Jarvis M, Henningfield J. Biochemical verification of tobacco use and cessation. Nicotine and Tobacco Research. 2002;4(2):149–159. - PubMed
    1. Bettigole C, Farley TA. Retail Stores and the Fight Against Tobacco—Following the Money. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2016;176(10):1520–1521. - PubMed

Publication types