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A hematite photoanode co-modified with CoMoO4 and oxygen vacancies can synergistically enhance the conductivity and suppress surface-charge recombination to achieve an excellent photocurrent of 4.18 mA cm−2 at 1.23 VRHE.

Introduction Recent research has found widespread misperceptions about nicotine. This study tests perceptions among U.S. adults with respect to nicotine addictiveness and cancer harm, while distinguishing between nicotine misperceptions (ie an incorrect response) and “don’t know” (DK) responses. Aims and Methods Data from three cycles of the Health Information National Trends Survey, fielded in 2015, 2017, and 2019 were merged for analysis. Weighted multinominal logistic regression models were conducted where nicotine addictiveness and cancer harm beliefs (DK, incorrect, and correct responses) were regressed on survey year and demographic variables. We also tested for interactions between survey year and demographic variables to assess if previously identified disparities had evolved during these years. Results Analyses showed lower odds of misperceptions about nicotine addictiveness, but higher odds of misperceptions about nicotine cancer harm in 2019 compared to 2015. There was no change in DK responses during these years. Disparities by sociodemographics and tobacco use status were observed, mostly for cancer harm. Survey year significantly interacted with age in the model for cancer harm, which was driven primarily by increased incorrect responses and decreased DK responses over time among the youngest age group (18–34 years). There were no significant interactions between survey year and race and ethnicity or level of educational attainment. Conclusions Disparities in nicotine addictiveness and cancer harm perceptions reflect the uneven distribution of knowledge in the U.S. adult population. Nicotine cancer harm misperceptions are increasing and educational efforts to address this misperception are warranted. Implications Future educational efforts targeting nicotine addictiveness beliefs may benefit by focusing on DK responders. The growing trend of misperceptions of nicotine’s role in cancer harm may negatively impact perceptions about nicotine replacement therapy and low nicotine content cigarettes. Future efforts should focus on correcting nicotine cancer harm misperception, particularly among young adults.

Despite strong evidence that medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are highly effective treatment, access and utilization of MOUD is still limited among individuals involved with the criminal legal system. Negative attitudes of legal system actors towards MOUD have been recognized as an important barrier to the implementation of MOUD in correctional facilities and the legal system at large. A widely documented belief underlying negative attitudes toward MOUD is the idea of drug substitution -- that is, using a medication is merely substituting one drug for another one, and this continues one’s addiction. This belief is often entangled with a number of other misguided beliefs and perceptions, such as that MOUD is basically heroin, that a person is not in recovery if they are using medications, and that the medications prevent someone from becoming drug-free. The misinformation about MOUD is held by OUD patients as well as correctional and health professionals working in the justice system. This study seeks to inform intervention efforts by examining which communication strategies can improve attitudes toward MOUD among correctional and health professionals in justice settings. McGinty and colleagues (2018) identified sympathetic narratives and factual information as two promising communication strategies to reduce stigma around mental illness and substance use disorder (OUD). Such strategies may also have an impact on improving MOUD attitudes among stakeholders in justice settings. The aims of this proposed study are the following. Aim 1: Assess the degree to which factual corrective information can change justice professionals’ substitution belief (i.e., MOUD is substituting one drug or another) and their overall attitudes toward MOUD. Aim 2: Assess whether the combination of factual corrective information with a narrative can further enhance substitution belief change and MOUD attitude change among justice professionals than the informational corrective message alone.

Introduction Visual attention is a crucial mechanism in health messaging and campaign persuasiveness. Little is known about how visual attention may translate into cessation-related outcomes in tobacco public education campaigns. Methods Using the eye-tracking technology, this study investigated the relationships among visual attention, cognitive and affective message responses, and cessation-related outcomes (readiness to quit, intentions to quit, and intentions to seek cessation information). Four different posters from the Every Try Counts (ETC) campaign were used as message stimuli. A total of 80 adult current smokers participated. The associations between their behavioral eye gaze patterns and self-reported message responses and cessation-related outcomes were examined. Results Half of the sample (49.4%) were male, and 46.8% were White—with ages ranging from 18 to 36 years old (M = 21.22, SD = 2.86). Roughly 41% were daily smokers, and 78% had attempted quitting in the previous year. When exposed to campaign ads, only fixation on the FDA logo showed consistent positive relationships with cognitive and affective message responses. Mediation analyses revealed significant indirect effects of fixation on the FDA logo on quitting and information-seeking intentions mainly through positive affective message responses. Conclusions Visual attention to the FDA logo played an important role in the effects of ETC campaign messages. Implications This study contributes new evidence on the relationship of visual attention, message responses, and ETC campaign outcomes. The current findings suggest that highlighting FDA as a campaign sponsor in the visual display may enhance the effectiveness of FDA tobacco education messages.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, those involved with the criminal legal system experience disproportionate vulnerability to infection, transmission, and mortality, facing additional systemic barriers due to criminal legal involvement (CLI) (e.g., prior incarcerations or probationary status affecting employability or housing security). We use Weick’s (1979) model of sensemaking as a theoretical framework to inform our examination of CLI individuals’ experiences during the pandemic. The primary objective of this paper is to explore the process of sensemaking amid misinformation, trust/mistrust, and vulnerability during the pandemic among CLI communities in three central states (Illinois, Louisiana, and Arkansas). We conducted seven online focus groups (n = 44), between December 2020 and January 2021, from the targeted communities about their awareness of misinformation, trusted or distrusted sources, attitudes about COVID-19 health behaviors (including testing, protective behaviors such as mask-wearing and social distancing, and vaccination), and experiences with the criminal legal system during the pandemic. The concept of equivocality was at the core of the narratives shared among participants, with uncertainty emerging as a meta-theme across all focus groups. The findings of this study should prove useful for those who are developing messaging to combat mis/disinformation and overcome mis/distrust with the medical system and government institutions among those who are disenfranchised.

BACKGROUND Social media platforms provide a valuable source of public health information, as one-third of US adults seek specific health information online. Many anti-tobacco campaigns recognized such trends among youth and have shifted their advertising time and effort toward digital platforms. Timely evidence is needed to inform the adaptation of anti-tobaacco campaigns to changing social media platforms. OBJECTIVE In the present study, we conducted a content analysis of major anti-tobacco campaigns on Facebook using machine learning and natural language processing methods as well as a traditional approach to investigate the factors that may influence effective anti-smoking information dissemination and user engagement. METHODS We collected 3,515 posts and 28,125 associated comments from seven large national and local anti-tobacco campaigns on Facebook between 2018 and 2021 including The Real Cost, Truth, and CDC Tobacco Free (formally known as Tips from Former Smokers), Tobacco Prevention Toolkit, Behind the Haze VA, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and Smoke-Free US. Natural language processing methods were used for content analysis including parsimonious rule-based models for sentiment analysis and topic modeling. Logistic regression models were fitted to examine the relationship between anti-smoking message framing strategies and viewer responses and engagement. RESULTS We found that large campaigns from government and non-profit organizations had more user engagements compared to local and smaller campaigns. The Facebook users are more likely to engage in negatively-framed campaign posts. Negative posts tended to receive more negative comments (OR= 1.40, 95% CI 1.20 - 1.65). Positively framed posts generated more negative comments (OR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.19 - 1.66), as well as positive comments (OR = 1.29, 95% CI 1.13 - 1.48). Our content analysis and topic modeling uncovered that most popular campaign posts tended to be informational (i.e., providing new information), where the key phrases included talking about harmful chemicals (14.3%), as well as the risk to pets (6.3%). CONCLUSIONS Facebook users tended to engage with anti-tobacco educational campaigns more that are framed negatively. The most popular campaign posts are those providing new information, with key phrases and topics discussing harmful chemicals and risks of second-hand smoke for pets. Educational campaign designers can utilize such insights to increase the reach of anti-smoking campaigns and promote behavioral changes.

Our study assesses the relationship between the exposure of youth to the US Food and Drug Administration's national tobacco public education campaign, The Real Cost, and changes in campaign-focused risk perceptions and beliefs.A nationally representative cohort study of youth was conducted from June 2018 to July 2019, consisting of a baseline and one follow-up survey. We performed logistic regressions to examine the association between campaign exposure and beliefs. Exposure was measured by self-report as the frequency of exposure to individual campaign advertisements about the health consequences of e-cigarette use and of smoking cigarettes.We found that increased levels of exposure to campaign advertising was associated with a significant increase in the odds of reporting agreement with campaign-specific beliefs. Positive patterns of findings were found across multiple items selected by specific advertisements, whereas unrelated beliefs were not associated with advertisement exposure.A sustained national tobacco public education campaign can change beliefs about the harms of e-cigarette use and cigarette smoking among youth. Combined with other findings from The Real Cost evaluation, results indicate that prevention mass media campaigns continue to be an effective and cost-efficient approach to reduce the health and financial cost of tobacco use in the US.

OBJECTIVE: This study is the first to examine the influence of e-cigarette emission phrasing on perceived harm of secondhand exposure, and whether harm perception was associated with support for a tobacco-free campus policy. PARTICIPANTS: In the fall 2018 and spring 2019 semesters, 52 sections of a college English course (N=791 students) were cluster randomized to one of three conditions (“vapor,” “aerosol,” or “chemicals”) assessing harm of secondhand exposure to e-cigarette emissions. METHODS: Regression models adjusted for demographic characteristics, tobacco use, and other potential confounders. RESULTS: Compared to the “vapor” condition, “chemicals” and “aerosol” conditions were associated with increased odds of perceiving secondhand exposure to e-cigarettes to be harmful/very harmful (AOR=2.0, p

Mobile technology has created the opportunity for health systems to provide low cost tobacco cessation assistance to patients. The goal of the present study was to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of an intervention (Text2Connect) that uses text messages to offer proactive connection to the New York State Smokers’ Quitline. The electronic health record at two urban health systems was queried for patients who were current smokers and who had an outpatient visit between March 2015 and February 2016. Smokers (N = 4000) were sent an informational letter. Those who did not opt out (N = 3719) were randomized to one of 6 message sequences in order to examine the effect of theoretically informed message frames on response rates. Participants were sent a series of text messages at baseline and at 1 month and were asked to reply in order to be contacted by the state quitline (QL). After removing 1403 nonworking numbers, texts were sent to 2316 patients, and 10.0% (205/2060) responded with a QL request. Almost one quarter (23.6%, 486/2060) replied STOP and 66.4% (1369/2060) never responded. QL request rates were significantly higher when response efficacy messages were not used (p < .001). There were no differences by message framing on STOP requests (p > .05). The Text2Connect intervention was well accepted with a minority opting out. A 10% QL response rate is noteworthy given that only 5–7 brief outreach text messages were used. Results indicate that simple self-efficacy-focused messaging is most effective at supporting response rates.

AIMS To examine prevalence of bullying among nurses and explore associations of organizational betrayal and support with well-being among nurses exposed to bullying. BACKGROUND Bullying is a problem in many nursing workplaces, and organizations have an obligation to support nurses who are bullied. Support or betrayal after bullying could affect nurse well-being, including burnout. METHODS In this cross-sectional study among U.S. nurses, data were collected in a survey using the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised for Nursing, the Institutional Betrayal Questionnaire for Health, the Well-Being Index, a job satisfaction scale and demographic questions. RESULTS Prevalence of weekly/daily bullying was 31% (N = 242). Among nurses exposed to any bullying (N = 173), organizational betrayal increased odds of burnout (OR 2.62, p = .02), job dissatisfaction (OR 2.97, p = .04) and absenteeism (OR 6.11, p

Electronic cigarettes are the most widely used tobacco product among youth in the United States. Although rapidly growing, research on effective message strategies for e-cigarette use prevention is still limited. This study examined the relative effectiveness of gain framing versus loss framing in youth-targeting prevention text messages delivered either as individual expository texts or simulated text exchanges between a youth patient and a pediatrician. A national sample of 1,084 youth susceptible to future e-cigarette use was randomized to condition in an online message testing experiment featuring a 2 (framing: gain vs. loss) × 2 (format: individual texts vs. simulated exchange) factorial design. Results revealed a consistent interaction between framing and messaging format in message liking, positive affect, attitude toward e-cigarette use, and future e-cigarette use intentions. The gain frame outperformed the loss frame in the simulated exchange conditions while the reverse trend was true for the individual text conditions. Furthermore, the main effect of messaging format was significant on multiple outcomes in favor of simulated text exchanges. The main effect of framing was only significant on negative affective response with the loss frame eliciting stronger responses. These findings suggest that the relative effectiveness of gain framing versus loss framing depends on how messages are presented in youth-targeting text messaging interventions. When messages are likely to be delivered in a discrete manner, the loss frame should be preferred. When greater interactivity and narrative development are possible, the gain frame should be favored. E-cigarette prevention efforts should leverage these insights to enhance message effectiveness.

BACKGROUND Smoking remains a major public health issue among Chinese immigrants. Smoking cessation programs that focus on this population are scarce and have a limited population-level impact due to their low reach. Mobile messaging interventions have the potential to reach large audiences and expand smokers’ access to smoking cessation treatment. OBJECTIVE This study describes the development of a culturally and linguistically appropriate mobile messaging smoking cessation intervention for Chinese immigrant smokers delivered via WeChat, the most frequently used social media platform among Chinese people globally. METHODS This study had 2 phases. In phase 1, we developed a mobile message library based on social cognitive theory and the US Clinical Practice Guidelines for Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. We culturally adapted messages from 2 social cognitive theory-based text messaging smoking cessation programs (SmokefreeTXT and Decídetexto). We also developed new messages targeting smokers who were not ready to quit smoking and novel content addressing Chinese immigrant smokers’ barriers to quitting and common misconceptions related to willpower and nicotine replacement therapy. In phase 2, we conducted in-depth interviews with 20 Chinese immigrant smokers (including 7 women) in New York City between July and August 2021. The interviews explored the participants’ smoking and quitting experiences followed by assessment of the text messages. Participants reviewed 17 text messages (6 educational messages, 3 self-efficacy messages, and 8 skill messages) via WeChat and rated to what extent the messages enhanced their motivation to quit, promoted confidence in quitting, and increased awareness about quitting strategies. The interviews sought feedback on poorly rated messages, explored participant preferences for content, length, and format, discussed their concerns with WeChat cessation intervention, and solicited recommendations for frequency and timing of messages. RESULTS Overall, participants reported that the messages enhanced their motivation to quit, offered encouragement, and made them more informed about how to quit. Participants particularly liked the messages about the harms of smoking and strategies for quitting. They reported barriers to applying some of the quitting strategies, including coping with stress and staying abstinent at work. Participants expressed strong interest in the WeChat mobile messaging cessation intervention and commented on its potential to expand their access to smoking cessation treatment. CONCLUSIONS Mobile messages are well accepted by Chinese immigrant smokers. Research is needed to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of WeChat mobile messaging smoking cessation interventions for promoting abstinence among Chinese immigrant smokers.

Advance care planning (ACP) is the process of communicating about end-of-life (EOL) care with loved ones. Due to the deadly nature of COVID-19, ACP is vital. Unfortunately, fewer than 30% of American patients engage in ACP. In addition to low motivation, people experiencing death anxiety (DA) similarly avoid ACP. This finding coincides with predictions from terror management theory (TMT) that people avoid DA-arousing behaviors. Guided by the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the health belief model (HBM), we posited COVID-19 risk perceptions would be positively associated with determinants of health behavior, including intention to share and ask loved ones about EOL wishes, as well as the associated attitudes, norms, and level of perceived behavioral control regarding ACP. Guided by TMT, we posited that DA negatively mediated relationships between COVID-19 risk perceptions and these behavioral determinants. An MTurk participant sample (N = 522) completed a survey about COVID-19 risk perceptions, DA, and health behavior determinants in the context of ACP. Results indicate COVID-19 risk perceptions were rarely directly related to these determinants. However, results of PROCESS mediation models examining the role of DA in these relationships reveal a different picture. While direct relationships were rarely significant, DA negatively mediated most relationships between COVID-19 risk perceptions and behavioral determinants. Our results indicate DA demotivates EOL communication during the COVID-19 pandemic; a concerning yet important finding due to the increased importance of ACP in the context of a deadly disease like COVID-19.

Objective: To explore the evaluation value of the sensitivity of the median/ulnar nerve sensory latency difference in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome and the evaluation value of severity.Methods: 122 patients with CTS and 42 normal controls were collected from the department of Neurology in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from July 2019 to January 2021. Electrophysiological tests were performed on the CTS patients group and the control group. The distal latency of the sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) of the median nerve and the ulnar nerve of the two groups was recorded. According to electrophysiological results，the patients were divided into three grades: mild, moderate and severe, the sensitivity of the nerve sensory action potential distal latency (SDL) to the diagnosis of CTS patients were analyzed, and the relationship with the severity of CTS was analyzed.Results: ①There were significant differences between the median nerve sensory action potential distal latency (MSDL) of 179 affected hands and the control group; And median and ulnar sensory latency difference to ring finger (MUD) was significantly different from the control group; But ulnar nerve sensory action potential distal latency （USDL） was not significantly different from the control group (P=0.182). When the cutoff value of MSDL is 2.465ms, the sensitivity is 85.5% and the specificity is 90.4%; when the cutoff value of MUD is 0.38ms, the sensitivity is 100% and the specificity is 100%. ②In the mild, moderate, severe and control group, there was no significant difference in USDL between all the groups (P=0.56)a; between the control group and the mild group, moderate group, and severe group, and between the mild and moderate, significant differences were found in the MSDL and MUD. No significant difference between mild and severe (P=0.66), moderate and severe (P=1.00). ③ MSDL and MUD are correlated with the severity of CTS. There is no correlation between USDL and CTS severity.Conclusion: The ulnar nerve is not damaged in CTS; a smaller MSDL can reflect median nerve damage, which is beneficial to the early diagnosis of CTS; MUD is more sensitive than MSDL in diagnosing CTS; MUD is correlated with severity, which is beneficial to pain for patients who are more sensitive and cannot tolerate electrical stimulation, perhaps only measuring MUD can reflect the severity, relieve the patient's pain, and can be used to evaluate the therapeutic effect.

Vaping is the most prevalent form of tobacco use among youth in the United States. Motivated by the certainty effect in prospect theory, this study investigated the role of uncertainty tolerance as a potential moderator of the effects of gain- vs. loss-framed text messages for youth vaping prevention. Youth susceptible to future vaping (N = 536) were randomized to view a series of eight gain- or loss-framed text messages about the health consequences of vaping. Cognitive and affective responses to the messages as well as beliefs, attitude, and intentions about vaping were assessed post-exposure. Results showed an overall advantage of the loss frame on several outcomes. Additionally, an interaction between framing and uncertainty tolerance was observed for most outcomes such that the loss frame was more effective for those high in uncertainty tolerance, while the gain frame held a slight edge for those low in uncertainty tolerance. Findings from this study have implications for further engaging prospect theory in message framing research. They may also inform audience segmentation and targeted message design for youth vaping prevention efforts.

In tobacco prevention campaigns, fear-appeal messages are widely used and generally shown to be effective, whereas the utility of humor appeals is less clear. This study compares the potential effectiveness of fear and humor ads developed for "The Real Cost" campaign.Adolescents (N=1,315) aged 13-17 years who were either experimenting with smoking or susceptible to smoking initiation were randomized to view either a single ad (of three fear and two humor ads in total) or nothing (control condition). Those in the ad viewing condition completed measures on fear, amusement, and perceived ad effectiveness. All participants completed measures on smoking attitudes and risk perceptions. Data were collected in 2014 and 2015. Analysis was performed in 2016.Compared with control, both fear and humor ads produced greater risk perceptions (p0.001). Fear ads also produced more negative smoking attitudes (p=0.001); humor ads had a similar effect on attitudes that approached significance (p=0.07). Fear ads scored higher on perceived ad effectiveness and fear, and lower on amusement than humor ads (p0.001). In regression models, fear was a stronger predictor of perceived ad effectiveness, smoking attitudes, and risk perceptions than amusement for fear ads, whereas amusement was a stronger predictor of these outcomes than fear for humor ads.Both fear and humor appeals have potential to be effective in "The Real Cost" campaign. Concurrent employment of these message strategies should help to diversify messaging and consistently recapture the target audience's attention.This article is part of a supplement entitled Fifth Anniversary Retrospective of "The Real Cost," the Food and Drug Administration's Historic Youth Smoking Prevention Media Campaign, which is sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

This study examines whether and how exposure to information about health disparities from mediated and interpersonal sources and political trust are jointly associated with policy support and political advocacy. Using a two-wave panel survey design with a national U.S. sample, we found that political trust moderated the association between exposure to health-disparities information from interpersonal sources and policy support. Specifically, a negative relationship between exposure from interpersonal sources and policy support was observed among respondents with a lower than average level of political trust. In contrast, respondents with a higher than average level of political trust showed a positive association between exposure from interpersonal sources and policy support. Among respondents with average level of political trust, the relationship between exposure from interpersonal sources and policy support was generally flat. In addition, exposure to health-disparities information from media sources was positively related to political advocacy after controlling for possible confounders.

Psychological attachment to political parties can bias people’s attitudes, beliefs, and group evaluations. Studies from psychology suggest that self-affirmation theory may ameliorate this problem in the domain of politics on a variety of outcome measures. We report a series of studies conducted by separate research teams that examine whether a self-affirmation intervention affects a variety of outcomes, including political or policy attitudes, factual beliefs, conspiracy beliefs, affective polarization, and evaluations of news sources. The different research teams use a variety of self-affirmation interventions, research designs, and outcomes. Despite these differences, the research teams consistently find that self-affirmation treatments have little effect. These findings suggest considerable caution is warranted for researchers who wish to apply the self-affirmation framework to studies that investigate political attitudes and beliefs. By presenting the “null results” of separate research teams, we hope to spark a discussion about whether and how the self-affirmation paradigm should be applied to political topics.

The study of environmental communication originated as a diverse multidisciplinary field encompassing a wide array of communicator perspectives. However, as the field evolved, mass media and journalism became its perceived scholarly focus. As a result, environmental communication processes may be less well-understood across other settings, such as scientific and research institutions, non-governmental organizations, and federal agencies. To understand how communicators describe their goals, ethics, and strategies within these contexts, we conducted a three-part study of researchers and practitioners working on environmental issues in the Washington, DC, region between October 2019 and January 2020. Employing Q methodology, we identified four distinct perspectives: capacity-builders, translators, policy and decision-supporters, and cultural changemakers. Each of these perspectives is associated with a different range of goals, ethics, and strategic approaches. We describe graduate educational competencies for each of the perspectives and discuss implications for the design of communication research to meet practitioners’ needs.

BACKGROUND Although Pinterest has become a popular platform for distributing influential information that shapes users’ behaviors, the role of recipes pinned on Pinterest in these behaviors is not well understood. OBJECTIVE This study aims to explore the patterns of food ingredients and the nutritional content of recipes posted on Pinterest and to examine the factors associated with recipes that engage more users. METHODS Data were collected from Pinterest between June 28 and July 12, 2020 (207 recipes and 2818 comments). All samples were collected via 2 new user accounts with no search history. A codebook was developed with a raw agreement rate of 0.97 across all variables. Content analysis and natural language processing sentiment analysis techniques were employed. RESULTS Recipes using seafood or vegetables as the main ingredient had, on average, fewer calories and less sodium, sugar, and cholesterol than meat- or poultry-based recipes. For recipes using meat as the main ingredient, more than half of the energy was obtained from fat (277/490, 56.6%). Although the most followed pinners tended to post recipes containing more poultry or seafood and less meat, recipes with higher fat content or providing more calories per serving were more popular, having more shared photos or videos and comments. The natural language processing–based sentiment analysis suggested that Pinterest users weighted taste more heavily than complexity (225/2818, 8.0%) and health (84/2828, 2.9%). CONCLUSIONS Although popular pinners tended to post recipes with more seafood or poultry or vegetables and less meat, recipes with higher fat and sugar content were more user-engaging, with more photo or video shares and comments. Data on Pinterest behaviors can inform the development and implementation of nutrition health interventions to promote healthy recipe sharing on social media platforms.

Objective: Promoting smoking cessation through effective health messaging among African American smokers is of great urgency as African Americans suffer disproportionally more from smoking-related diseases compared to White smokers. This research examines the potential impact of self-affirmation on reducing defensive processing of graphic cigarette warning labels among African American smokers. Method: We conducted an experimental study in which participants were instructed to self-affirm (or not) prior to viewing graphic cigarette warning labels. Results: We found that although self-affirmation had no main effect on defensive processing, it interacted with initial/preexisting attitudes towards smoking to influence defensive responses such as message derogation and perceived message manipulation. For participants with more positive initial attitudes towards smoking, self-affirmation led to reduced message derogation and perceived message manipulation. For these individuals, we also found an indirect effect of self-affirmation on intentions to quit smoking through perceived message manipulation. Self-affirmation had largely no effects on participants with less positive initial attitudes towards smoking. Conclusion: The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Objective: To explore differences in tobacco information–seeking behaviours and perceptions between sexual minority and heterosexual (or ‘straight’) adults and to determine if these differences are mediated by tobacco use. Design: Cross-sectional national survey. Setting: Nationally representative probability-based surveys of adults 18 years of age or older in the US civilian non-institutionalised population. Methods: Data from respondents identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual (LGB; n = 156) or straight ( n = 4,964) in the US National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey Food and Drug Administration cycles 1 and 2 (HINTS-FDA 2015, 2017) were analysed. We compared the responses of sexual minority and straight respondents aged 18 years and older concerning tobacco information-seeking behaviours and perceptions. Results: Sexual minority respondents were more likely than their straight counterparts to seek out tobacco health information, to look for information about e-cigarettes and to use the Internet for health information searches. Some of these differences were mediated by tobacco use. Sexual minority respondents were similar to their straight counterparts regarding perceptions of trust and confidence in tobacco health information, as well as perceptions of the hazards of tobacco use. Conclusion: Because sexual minority adults have higher rates of tobacco use and higher rates of tobacco information seeking than others, tobacco health information campaigns should consider carefully tailoring the messages directed towards sexual minority populations.

Little is known about nicotine and addiction beliefs held by those who are foreign-born in the US and how these beliefs are associated with acculturation and race/ethnicity. This study attempts to address these research gaps. Data were analyzed from two cycles of the Health Information National Trends Survey, HINTS-FDA 2015 (n = 3738) and HINTS-FDA 2017 (n = 1736). HINTS-FDA is a tobacco-focused, cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of US non-institutionalized civilian adults aged 18 years or older. We first assessed associations between foreign-born status and beliefs about nicotine and addiction using weighted chi-square analyses. Then, using only the foreign-born sample, we examined the associations of nicotine and addiction beliefs with race/ethnicity and acculturation (i.e., English proficiency and U.S. tenure) using weighted multiple linear regression. Results showed that, compared to US-born respondents, foreign-born respondents were more likely to be concerned with being addicted to nicotine and to believe that low nicotine cigarettes would have much lower lung cancer risk than a typical cigarette. Among the foreign-born, NH-Black and Hispanic respondents were more likely to see low nicotine cigarettes as harmful and addictive compared to NH-White respondents. The relationship between acculturation and nicotine beliefs was complex with lower acculturation associated with elevated misperceived risk of nicotine and also ratings of addictiveness. Further research among key subpopulations may inform communication, education and dissemination strategies, especially among vulnerable populations.

We examined the association between lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) identity, cigarette and e-cigarette use, and potential risk factors in the United States. Using data from 198,057 adults in 26 states in the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), we estimated the prevalence of cigarette use, e-cigarette use, and potential risk factors by gender identity and sexual identity. Overall and sex-stratified bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions examined whether the relationship between sexual and gender identity and cigarette and e-cigarette use persisted after adjusting for demographics, socio-economic status, and other unhealthy behaviors. After adjusting for covariates, gender minority identity was no longer associated with increased likelihood of currently smoking cigarettes and ever use of e-cigarettes. Sexual minority identity continued to be significant after adjusting for covariates, indicating that sexual identity disparities in cigarette and e-cigarette use are not fully explained by these factors. Findings varied by identity. Compared to their straight peers, likelihood of tobacco product use among LGB individuals varied between sexes, by product, and by sexual identity (gay/lesbian versus bisexual). More research is needed to understand the mechanisms that influence diverse patterns of cigarette and e-cigarette use among sexual and gender minority adults.

Introduction: Our aim is to investigate pediatric primary healthcare providers' (PPCPs) perceptions about e-cigarettes and current e-cigarette-related clinical practices with adolescents.Methods: I...