Jennifer Cantrell
Jennifer Cantrell
Scroll
Associate Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences
-
Professional overview
-
Jennifer Cantrell, DrPH, MPA, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the NYU School of Global Public Health. Her research investigates emerging trends in tobacco and nicotine use and industry marketing, and explores clinical, countermarketing and policy interventions to diminish tobacco's appeal and promote health equity.
Dr. Cantrell currently leads a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded grant (R01CA268932) that uses Multiphase Optimization STrategy (MOST) to optimize cessation treatment for smokers living with HIV in clinical care. This study uses MOST, implementation science and decision analysis to test four interventions targeting multilevel barriers to quitting for people living with HIV, with the aim of developing a cost-effective, scalable and sustainable treatment package delivered in HIV clinical care. In other funded research, Dr. Cantrell uses diverse data sources and methods to explore evolving tobacco and nicotine use patterns and the commercial determinants that drive use. Her research also examines innovative digital counter-marketing strategies with a focus on achieving optimal exposure levels and effective counter-messaging.
Dr. Cantrell is a Co-Investigator with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded R25 training grant on Optimization of Behavioral and Biobehavioral Interventions (PI: Linda Collins). She is Chair of Early Career Faculty Outreach for the NYU Center for the Advancement and Dissemination of Intervention Optimization (CADIO), which trains investigators in intervention optimization methodologies worldwide. She has also served on the Advisory Committees for the Treatment Network and the Health Equity Network for the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. Dr. Cantrell has published over 70 scientific articles and co-authored a chapter on “Communication, Marketing and Tobacco-related Disparities” in the NCI Monograph 22: A Socioecological Approach to Tobacco-related Disparities. Her research has been published in the American Journal of Public Health, Addiction, Nicotine & Tobacco Research and other leading journals, and featured in media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, NPR, and The Boston Globe. She also received the highly competitive National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program award from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities for her work on tobacco disparities and health equity.
Prior to joining NYU GPH, Dr. Cantrell was a Managing Director and Scientist at Truth Initiative, a national non-profit research and education organization focused on tobacco use prevention and cessation, where she evaluated and conducted research on national anti-smoking mass media efforts, including the award-winning truth® campaign and the Centers for Disease Control’s Tips for Former Smokers campaign. As part of this work, she led the development of the winning proposal for the 2017 Berreth Award for Excellence in Public Health Communication. She earned her DrPH from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and her MPA from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. She completed postdoctoral training in the NIDA program for Behavioral Science Training in Drug Abuse Research at National Development Research Institutes in New York, NY. -
Areas of research and study
-
Alcohol, Tobacco and Driving PoliciesBehavioral ScienceHealth DisparitiesPopulation HealthPublic Health PolicySocial BehaviorsSocial epidemiology
-
Publications
Publications
A multidisciplinary approach to health campaign effectiveness
AbstractRath, J. M., Greenberg, M., Ganz, O., Pitzer, L., Hair, E. C., Xiao, H., Cantrell, J., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2018Journal title
Journal of Public Health ResearchVolume
7Issue
2Page(s)
87-91AbstractCampaign costs are rising, making ad execution testing more critical to determine effectiveness prior to media spending. Premarket testing occurs prior to messages’ airing while in-market testing examines message attributes when messages are aired within a real-world setting, where context plays an important role in determining audience response. These types of ad testing provide critical feedback to help develop and deploy campaigns. Due to recent changes in media delivery platforms and audience tobacco use behavior, this study analyzes two nationally representative youth samples, aged 15-21, to examine if pre-market ad testing is an indicator of in-market ad performance for public health campaigns, which rely on persuasive messages to promote or reduce health behaviors rather than selling a product. Using data from the Truth® campaign, a national tobacco use prevention campaign targeted to youth and young adults, findings indicate strong associations between pre-market scores and in-market ad performance metrics.A Multilevel Analysis of Gender, Latino Immigrant Enclaves, and Tobacco Use Behavior
AbstractCantrell, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2014Journal title
Journal of Urban HealthVolume
91Issue
5Page(s)
928-939AbstractResearch suggests that immigrant enclaves positively influence health behaviors such as tobacco use through supportive social networks and informal social control mechanisms that promote healthy behavioral norms. Yet, the influence of social cohesion and control on tobacco use may depend on smoking-related norms, which can vary by gender. This study examines the influence of neighborhood Latino immigrant enclave status on smoking and cessation among Hispanic men and women. Data from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey was combined with census data to assess the relationship between immigrant enclaves, gender, and smoking using multilevel regression. The effect of the Hispanic enclave environment on smoking differed by gender. Living in an enclave had a harmful effect on tobacco use among Hispanic men, marginally increasing the likelihood of smoking and significantly reducing cessation. This effect was independent of neighborhood socioeconomic status, nativity, and other individual demographics. Neighborhood immigrant concentration was not associated with smoking or cessation for Hispanic women. Research, interventions, and policies aimed at reducing smoking among Hispanics may need to be gender responsive to ensure effectiveness as well as health and gender equity.Acceptability of a Telehealth Smoking Harm Reduction Intervention Using E-cigarettes among Cigarette Smokers with Substance Use Disorder: A Qualitative Analysis.
AbstractEl-Shahawy, O., Fawole, A., Braga, M., Hamade, N., Kang, B., Doucoure, M., Gallardo Castillo, I., & Cantrell, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Abstract~'Action. Adventure. Special Offers.' : How Marlboro engages consumers on its website
AbstractIlakkuvan, V., Cantrell, J., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2014Journal title
Tobacco controlVolume
23Issue
5Page(s)
455-456Abstract~Agents of social change : A model for targeting and engaging generation Z across platforms: How a nonprofit rebuilt an advertising campaign to curb smoking by teens and young adults
AbstractVallone, D., Smith, A., Kenney, T., Greenberg, M., Hair, E., Cantrell, J., Rath, J., & Koval, R. (n.d.).Publication year
2016Journal title
Journal of Advertising ResearchVolume
56Issue
4Page(s)
414-425AbstractThe Truth Initiative strives to protect a new generation of youths who are prime prospects for the tobacco industry, by engaging that audience and reigniting their interest. The current authors oversaw a three-phase study that included recruiting a national cohort sample-believed to be the first of its kind-of more than 10,000 members of Generation Z, ages 15 to 21 years old. The authors’ methods informed a new cross-platform campaign that fueled brand awareness and prompted changes in attitudes against smoking, while generating $88.6 million in earned media value with 78.5 million earned media impressions.American spirit pack descriptors and perceptions of harm : A crowdsourced comparison of modified packs
AbstractPearson, J. L., Richardson, A., Feirman, S. P., Villanti, A. C., Cantrell, J., Cohn, A., Tacelosky, M., & Kirchner, T. R. (n.d.).Publication year
2016Journal title
Nicotine and Tobacco ResearchVolume
18Issue
8Page(s)
1749-1756AbstractIntroduction: In 2015, the Food and Drug Administration issued warnings to three tobacco manufacturers who label their cigarettes as "additive-free" and/or "natural" on the grounds that they make unauthorized reduced risk claims. The goal of this study was to examine US adults' perceptions of three American Spirit (AS) pack descriptors ("Made with Organic Tobacco," "100% Additive-Free," and "100% US Grown Tobacco") to assess if they communicate reduced risk. Methods: In September 2012, three cross-sectional surveys were posted on Amazon Mechanical Turk. Adult participants evaluated the relative harm of a Marlboro Red pack versus three different AS packs with the descriptors "Made with Organic Tobacco," "100% Additive-Free," or "100% US Grown Tobacco" (Survey 1; n = 461); a Marlboro Red pack versus these AS packs modified to exclude descriptors (Survey 2; n = 857); and unmodified versus modified AS pack images (Survey 3; n = 1001). Results: The majority of Survey 1 participants rated the unmodified AS packs as less harmful than the Marlboro Red pack; 35.4%-58.8% of Survey 2 participants also rated the modified (no claims) packs as less harmful than Marlboro Red. In these surveys, prior use of AS cigarettes was associated with reduced perceptions of risk (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.59-2.40). "Made with Organic Tobacco" and "100% Additive-Free" were associated with reduced perceptions of risk when comparing the modified versus the unmodified AS packs (Survey 3). Conclusions: Data suggest that these AS pack descriptors communicate reduced harm messages to consumers. Findings have implications for regulatory actions related to product labeling and packaging. Implications: These findings provide additional evidence that the "Made with Organic Tobacco," "100% Additive-Free," and "100% US Grown" descriptors, as well as other aspects of the AS pack design, communicate reduced harm to non-, current, and former smokers. Additionally, they provide support for the importance of FDA's 2015 warning to Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company on "100% Additive Free" as an unauthorized modified risk claim.Assessing digital advertising exposure using a virtual experimental protocol
AbstractCantrell, J., Bingenheimer, J., Tulsiani, S., Hair, E., Vallone, D., Mills, S., Gerard, R., & Evans, W. D. (n.d.).Publication year
2022Journal title
Digital HealthVolume
8AbstractIntroduction: The rapid increase in online public education campaigns underscores the need for a better understanding of the effects of exposure to digital advertising and targeted individual-level outcomes. The goal of this study is to develop a virtual experimental protocol to evaluate the dose-response effects of individual-level exposure to digital video ads on campaign outcomes in a naturalistic online browsing context. Methods: Young adults aged 18–24 years (n = 221) completed three 5 min viewing sessions on a realistic mock-up of the YouTube mobile app over a period of 2 weeks, followed by a 10-min survey after the third session. Participants were randomized to view between 0 and 6 exposures of ads from an e-cigarette prevention campaign; respondents viewed a total of 2 ads per session, with 0 to 2 of those ads being non-skippable digital video ads from the campaign and/or a dummy ad. The video ads played prior to short YouTube videos. Outcomes measured were self-reported ad recognition, frequency of ad exposure, and main message knowledge. Results: This study demonstrates a rapidly accessible virtual experimental protocol for evaluating the dose-response effects of digital advertising and individual-level outcomes. Five digital exposures of non-skippable video ads delivered via this platform over a 2-week period generated the highest ad recognition when there were up to six exposures. Higher exposure levels may be needed for message knowledge and ad-content-related effects. Conclusion: This protocol can be extended to investigate dose-response effects and mechanisms of action of individual-level exposure to digital advertising for multiple campaign outcomes, including changes in knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs. Findings can inform evidence for adequate levels of digital exposure in public education campaigns.Assessing the Health and Economic Impact of a Potential Menthol Cigarette Ban in New York City : a Modeling Study
AbstractLi, Y., Sisti, J., Flórez, K. R., Albrecht, S. S., Viswanath, A., Davila, M., Cantrell, J., Brahmbhatt, D., Thompson, A. B., Jasek, J., & Chambers, E. C. (n.d.).Publication year
2021Journal title
Journal of Urban HealthVolume
98Issue
6Page(s)
742-751AbstractMenthol in cigarettes increases nicotine dependence and decreases the chances of successful smoking cessation. In New York City (NYC), nearly half of current smokers usually smoke menthol cigarettes. Female and non-Latino Black individuals were more likely to smoke menthol-flavored cigarettes compared to males and other races and ethnicities. Although the US Food and Drug Administration recently announced that it will ban menthol cigarettes, it is unclear how the policy would affect population health and health disparities in NYC. To inform potential policymaking, we used a microsimulation model of cardiovascular disease (CVD) to project the long-term health and economic impact of a potential menthol ban in NYC. Our model projected that there could be 57,232 (95% CI: 51,967–62,497) myocardial infarction (MI) cases and 52,195 (95% CI: 47,446–56,945) stroke cases per 1 million adult smokers in NYC over a 20-year period without the menthol ban policy. With the menthol ban policy, 2,862 MI cases and 1,983 stroke cases per 1 million adults could be averted over a 20-year period. The model also projected that an average of $1,836 in healthcare costs per person, or $1.62 billion among all adult smokers, could be saved over a 20-year period due to the implementation of a menthol ban policy. Results from subgroup analyses showed that women, particularly Black women, would have more reductions in adverse CVD outcomes from the potential implementation of the menthol ban policy compared to males and other racial and ethnic subgroups, which implies that the policy could reduce sex and racial and ethnic CVD disparities. Findings from our study provide policymakers with evidence to support policies that limit access to menthol cigarettes and potentially address racial and ethnic disparities in smoking-related disease burden.Beyond Demographics: Mixed Methods Research for Effective Communication Tools to Prevent Tobacco Use in Latino Adolescents and Young Adults
AbstractMoran, M., Alonso, F., Cantrell, J., Hair, E., Jordan, A., Ramirez, S., Rath, J., Sasser, A., Suarez, S., Torres, G., & Umanzor, S. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Abstract~Cameras for public health surveillance : A methods protocol for crowdsourced annotation of point-of-sale photographs
AbstractIlakkuvan, V., Tacelosky, M., Ivey, K. C., Pearson, J. L., Cantrell, J., Vallone, D. M., Abrams, D. B., & Kirchner, T. R. (n.d.).Publication year
2014Journal title
JMIR Research ProtocolsVolume
3Issue
2AbstractBackground: Photographs are an effective way to collect detailed and objective information about the environment, particularly for public health surveillance. However, accurately and reliably annotating (ie, extracting information from) photographs remains difficult, a critical bottleneck inhibiting the use of photographs for systematic surveillance. The advent of distributed human computation (ie, crowdsourcing) platforms represents a veritable breakthrough, making it possible for the first time to accurately, quickly, and repeatedly annotate photos at relatively low cost. Objective: This paper describes a methods protocol, using photographs from point-of-sale surveillance studies in the field of tobacco control to demonstrate the development and testing of custom-built tools that can greatly enhance the quality of crowdsourced annotation. Methods: Enhancing the quality of crowdsourced photo annotation requires a number of approaches and tools. The crowdsourced photo annotation process is greatly simplified by decomposing the overall process into smaller tasks, which improves accuracy and speed and enables adaptive processing, in which irrelevant data is filtered out and more difficult targets receive increased scrutiny. Additionally, zoom tools enable users to see details within photographs and crop tools highlight where within an image a specific object of interest is found, generating a set of photographs that answer specific questions. Beyond such tools, optimizing the number of raters (ie, crowd size) for accuracy and reliability is an important facet of crowdsourced photo annotation. This can be determined in a systematic manner based on the difficulty of the task and the desired level of accuracy, using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. Usability tests of the zoom and crop tool suggest that these tools significantly improve annotation accuracy. The tests asked raters to extract data from photographs, not for the purposes of assessing the quality of that data, but rather to assess the usefulness of the tool. The proportion of individuals accurately identifying the presence of a specific advertisement was higher when provided with pictures of the product's logo and an example of the ad, and even higher when also provided the zoom tool (χ2 2=155.7, PCantrell et al. Respond
AbstractCantrell, J., Kreslake, J., Ganz, O., Pearson, J. L., Vallone, D. M., Anesetti-Rothermel, A., Xiao, H., & Kirchner, T. R. (n.d.).Publication year
2014Journal title
American journal of public healthVolume
104Issue
4Page(s)
e1-e2Abstract~Cigar Use Progression Among New Cigar Initiators : A Two-Part Growth Curve Analysis Among a Youth and Young Adult Cohort
AbstractCantrell, J., Xu, S., Kreslake, J., Liu, M., & Hair, E. (n.d.).Publication year
2022Journal title
Nicotine and Tobacco ResearchVolume
24Issue
1Page(s)
28-36AbstractIntroduction: Youth and young adults (YYAs) are at high risk of cigar use. This study's objective was to examine progression and sociodemographic differences in current cigar use and frequency among new cigar initiators. Aims and Methods: We conducted a two-part latent growth model among a nationally representative cohort of cigar initiators (aged 15-25) to examine 24-month trajectories of current cigar use and frequency (n = 1483). The cohort was recruited via address-based sampling with online data collection from 2014 to 2019 and surveyed approximately every 6 months. Results: The unconditional odds of current cigar use (ie, past 30-day use) within 6 months of initiation was 0.72 (95% confidence interval: 0.63, 0.82), corresponding to a probability of 42%. The odds of current use among recent cigar initiates declined 6 months after initiation and was followed by a stabilization in use over time. Among continued users, frequency (# days used in past 30 days) increased linearly over time but remained low (3.47 days/months at 24 months). Younger individuals, non-Hispanic African Americans, those with lower subjective financial status, and current users of cigarettes, other tobacco products and/or marijuana were at highest risk within 6 months of initiation. Males, younger users, and current cigarette smokers had the highest risk for cigar progression over time. Conclusions: This study is the first to examine longitudinal cigar use patterns among YYA cigar initiators. Findings emphasize the need for research across the cigar use spectrum and the importance of interventions targeted by age, stage of use, cigarette, other tobacco, and marijuana use and key sociodemographics to interrupt use pathways. Implications: This study is the first to examine progression of cigar use among YYAs who have newly initiated cigars. Results show a high probability of current cigar use within 6 months of initiation followed by a rapid decline and stabilization over time. Frequency increases among those who continue using cigars. Males, younger users, and current cigarette smokers had the highest risk for cigar progression over time. Findings emphasize the need for targeting interventions by age, stage of use, cigarette, other tobacco, and marijuana use and key sociodemographics to interrupt use pathways.Cigarette price variation around high schools : Evidence from Washington DC
AbstractCantrell, J., Ganz, O., Anesetti-Rothermel, A., Harrell, P., Kreslake, J. M., Xiao, H., Pearson, J. L., Vallone, D., & Kirchner, T. R. (n.d.).Publication year
2015Journal title
Health and PlaceVolume
31Page(s)
193-198AbstractThis study examines lowest cigarette prices in all tobacco retail outlets in Washington D.C. (. n=750) in relation to the type and number of high schools nearby, controlling for confounders. The lowest overall and Newport menthol prices were significantly lower at outlets near public non-charter and charter schools compared with outlets near private schools. Given higher smoking prevalence and more price-sensitive youth subgroups in U.S. public schools, exposure to low prices may contribute to tobacco-related health disparities in minority and low-income populations. Tobacco taxes combined with policies to minimize the increasing use of price as a marketing tool are critical.Contextual Influences and Campaign Awareness among Young Adults : Evidence from the National truth ® Campaign
AbstractVallone, D. M., Ilakkuvan, V., Xiao, H., Cantrell, J., Rath, J., & Hair, E. (n.d.).Publication year
2015Journal title
Behavioral MedicineVolume
41Issue
3Page(s)
155-163AbstractMass media campaigns have been found to shape the public's knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behavior around tobacco. This study examines the influence of contextual factors with respect to awareness of the national truth ® campaign, a mass media, branded tobacco use prevention campaign, among a sample of young adults (n = 2,804) aged 24-34 years old; these respondents were within the age range for both the primary and secondary targets of the campaign during the period (2000-2007) when the campaign was airing television advertising at consistently high levels. Mulitvariable models reveal lower educational attainment and Hispanic ethnicity as significant contextual factors predictive of lower campaign awareness, controlling for media use. In contrast, gender, state tobacco control policy, sensation-seeking, current smoking status, and community-level SES variables were not significantly associated with campaign awareness. Further research is needed to identify the mechanisms through which public education campaigns operate, particularly among disadvantaged communities.Correlates of cigar use by type and flavor among U.S. young adults: 2011-2015
AbstractGlasser, A. M., Johnson, A. L., Rose, S. W., Ganz, O., Cantrell, J., Delnevo, C. D., & Villanti, A. C. (n.d.).Publication year
2017Journal title
Tobacco Regulatory ScienceAbstract~Cost and threshold analysis of the finishit campaign to prevent youth smoking in the United States
AbstractWeir, B. W., Cantrell, J., Holtgrave, D. R., Greenberg, M. S., Kennedy, R. D., Rath, J. M., Hair, E. C., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2018Journal title
International journal of environmental research and public healthVolume
15Issue
8AbstractIn 2014, Truth Initiative launched the national FinishIt campaign to prevent smoking initiation among youth and young adults. The significant changes in the communications landscape requires further analysis to determine resource requirements for public education campaigns relative to their impact. This analysis estimates the cost of the FinishIt campaign based on data from expenditure records and uses published estimates of the lifetime treatment costs and quality-adjusted life years associated with smoking. The total cost of the FinishIt campaign for 2014–2016 was $162 million. Under assumptions associated with the pessimistic base-case (no medical care costs saved through prevention), 917 smoking careers would need to be averted for the campaign to be cost-effective. Assuming smoking leads to increased medical care costs, 7186 smoking careers would need to be averted for the campaign to be cost-saving. Given these thresholds (917 and 7186) and the estimate of the impact of the previous truth campaign, the investments in the Truth Initiative’s FinishIt campaign are likely warranted for preventing smoking careers among youth and young adults.Design and Baseline Evaluation of Social Media Vaping Prevention Trial : Randomized Controlled Trial Study
AbstractEvans, W. D., Ichimiya, M., Bingenheimer, J. B., Cantrell, J., D'Esterre, A. P., Pincus, O., Yu, L. Q., & Hair, E. C. (n.d.).Publication year
2025Journal title
Journal of medical Internet researchVolume
27AbstractBackground: Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is a major public health problem and young adults aged 18-24 years are at high risk. Furthermore, oral nicotine products (ONPs) are growing in popularity in this population. Poly-use is widespread. New methodologies for rigorous online studies using social media have been conducted and shown to reduce nicotine use. Objective: We report on the design and baseline evaluation of a large-scale social media-based randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effects of antivaping social media on young adult vaping and determinants of use. Methods: Using the Virtual Lab social media platform, participants were recruited using an artificial intelligence chatbot and social media advertising, completed a baseline survey, and were randomized to 1 of 4 study arms. The design was to achieve specific numbers of impressions per arm over 3 survey time points. We recruited 8437 participants, stratified by vaper (n=5026) and nonvaper (n=3321) status. Questionnaire data were collected using the Qualtrics survey platform. Future analyses will examine the effects of social media content on vaping at the endline. Our data analysis describes the 2 cohort samples, examines balance across the 4 study arms on baseline variables in each of the cohorts, and evaluates the internal consistency of several multi-indicator measures of psychosocial constructs. Results: Among vapers, almost three-fourths were current vapers, >40% were current smokers (using in the past 30 days), and >48% were current poly-users (using e-cigarettes and ≥1 other tobacco products). Substantial numbers of current vapers also currently use some other product, including cigars (n=1520, 30.2%), hookah (n=794, 15.8%), smokeless devices (n=462, 9.2%), and ONPs (n=578, 11.5%). The average age of participants was 21.2 (SD 2) years. Just less than 45% of participants were non-Hispanic White (n=3728, 44.7%), just less than 47% (n=3913, 46.9%) of the sample was male, more than 44% (n=3704, 44.4%) reported completing high school, and 79.3% reported meeting basic needs or better. There were no significant differences between arms and strata by any of these demographics. We calculated scale scores for depression and covariates related to nicotine use and found high alphas. Finally, participants who reported having seen antitobacco brand advertising were more likely to have higher levels of these variables and scales than participants who reported not having seen the advertisements. These results will be examined in future studies. Conclusions: Social media can be used as a platform at scale for longitudinal randomized controlled trials over extended periods, which extends previous research on short-term trials. Interventions delivered by social media can be used with large samples to evaluate social media health behavior change interventions. Future studies based on this research will evaluate the intervention and dose-response effects of social media exposure on vaping behavior and determinants.Design and Feasibility Testing of the truth FinishIt Tobacco Countermarketing Brand Equity Scale
AbstractEvans, W. D., Rath, J., Pitzer, L., Hair, E. C., Snider, J., Cantrell, J., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2016Journal title
Journal of Health CommunicationVolume
21Issue
7Page(s)
800-808AbstractThe original truth campaign was a branded, national smoking prevention mass media effort focused on at-risk youth ages 12–17. Today the truth brand focuses on the goal of finishing tobacco (truth FinishIt). There have been significant changes in the tobacco control landscape, leading FinishIt to focus on 15- to 21-year-olds. The present article reports on formative research and media monitoring data collected to pilot test a new truth FinishIt brand equity scale. The goals of this study were to (a) content analyze truth FinishIt mass media ads, (b) assess truth’s social media and followers’ perceptions of truth’s digital brand identity, and (c) develop and feasibility test a new version of the truth FinishIt brand equity scale using data from an existing Truth Initiative media monitoring study. Through factor analysis, we identified a brand equity scale, as in previous research, consisting of 4 main constructs: brand loyalty, leadership/satisfaction, personality, and awareness. Targeted truth attitudes and beliefs about social perceptions, acceptability, and industry-related beliefs were regressed on the higher order factor and each of the 4 individual brand equity factors. Ordinary least squares regression models generally showed associations in the expected directions (positive for anti-tobacco and negative for pro-tobacco) between targeted attitudes/beliefs and truth FinishIt brand equity. This study succeeded in developing and validating a new truth FinishIt brand equity scale. The scale may be a valuable metric for future campaign evaluation. Future studies should examine the effects of truth FinishIt brand equity on tobacco use behavioral outcomes over time.Differences in Receptivity to Menthol Cigarette Advertising between Adults with and without Anxiety and Depression
AbstractGanz, O., Young, W., Bover-Mandinski, M., Cantrell, J., & Delnevo, C. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Abstract~Differences in receptivity to tobacco industry marketing among young adults by sexual identity and sex: findings from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health
AbstractGanz, O., Krueger, E., Tan, A., Talbot, E., Delnevo, C., & Cantrell, J. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population HealthAbstractTobacco use is disproportionately high among sexual minorities (i.e., lesbian/gay and bisexual [LGB] individuals). Receptivity to tobacco advertising is an established risk factor for tobacco use among the general population, yet little research has assessed how receptivity to tobacco advertising differs based on sexual identity and sex. Additionally, studies often fail to distinguish between LGB identities, creating a monolith of sexual identity that ignores different underlying risk factors and behaviors. This study examined differences in receptivity to advertising of five tobacco product categories (any tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco) between straight/heterosexual, lesbian/gay, and bisexual young adults, by sex. We used data from Wave 1 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Restricted Use File. Analyses were limited to young adults (ages 18-24) with complete data on sexual identity (n=8,839). Multivariable logistic regressions examined the association between receptivity and sexual identity, controlling for demographics, past 30-day tobacco use, and media use. In the multivariable models, gay males had higher odds of receptivity to cigar advertising, and gay and bisexual males had higher odds of receptivity to e-cigarette advertising, compared with straight/heterosexual males. Compared with straight/heterosexual females, bisexual females had higher odds of receptivity to advertising for all products; lesbian/gay females had higher odds of receptivity to any tobacco advertising. In conclusion, our study identified elevated receptivity to tobacco marketing among sexual minorities- particularly sexual minority women. More research is needed to understand the sources of exposure to tobacco advertising and reasons for elevated receptivity among LGB individuals.Direct-to-Consumer Marketing of Cigar Productsin the United States
AbstractGanz, O., Teplitskaya, L., Cantrell, J., Hair, E. C., & Vallone, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2016Journal title
Nicotine and Tobacco ResearchVolume
18Issue
5Page(s)
864-868AbstractIntroduction: Although cigar use and sales have increased in the United States over the past decade,little is known about how these products are promoted. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisingis a common method used to promote tobacco products and may be a potential channel throughwhich cigars are advertised.Methods: Comperemedia (Mintel) was used to acquire opt-in direct mail and email advertising forthe top 10 cigar brands in the United States between January 2013 and July 2014. The advertisementand corresponding data on brand, advertising spend, and mail volume were downloadedand summarized. Promotions such as coupons, giveaways, and sweepstakes were also examined.Results: A total of 92 unique advertisements met the search criteria and included two brands: Black & Mild (n = 77) and Swisher Sweets (n = 15). Expenditures on direct mail advertising during thisperiod totaled $12 809 630. Black & Mild encompassed 80% of total direct mail volume and 78% ofdirect mail advertising expenditures. Almost all advertisements contained at least one promotion(88%) and included a URL to the product website (85%).Conclusions: The results suggest that Black & Mild and Swisher Sweets are the primary cigar brandsusing DTC advertising. Promotional offers were nearly ubiquitous among the advertisements,which may appeal to price-sensitive populations. Future studies should continue to examine cigaradvertising via direct mail and email, in addition to other channels, such as the point-of-sale.Implications: Although cigar use and sales have increased in the United States over the past decade,there is limited data on cigar advertising. This article provides a snapshot of expenditures,volume, and promotional content of DTC cigar advertising in the United States between January2013 and July 2014.E-cigarettes and Cessation : Asking Different Questions Requires Different Methods
AbstractGlasser, A., Giovenco, D. P., Levy, D. T., Vojjala, M., Cantrell, J., Abrams, D. S., & Niaura, R. S. (n.d.).Publication year
2021Journal title
Nicotine and Tobacco ResearchVolume
23Issue
5Page(s)
878-879Abstract~Effects of a smoking cessation intervention in a homeless population : A pilot study
AbstractShelley, D., Cantrell, J., Wong, S., & Warn, D. (n.d.).Publication year
2010Journal title
American Journal of Health BehaviorVolume
34Issue
5Page(s)
544-552AbstractObjective: To test the feasibility and effect of a smoking cessation intervention among sheltered homeless. Methods: Homeless smokers were enrolled in a 12-week group counseling program plus pharmacotherapy (n=58). Results: The mean number of sessions attended was 7.2; most participants used at least one type of medication (67%); and 75% completed 12-week end-of-treatment surveys. Carbon-monoxide-verified abstinence rates at 12 and 24 weeks were 15.5% and 13.6% respectively. Conclusion: Results support the feasibility of enrolling and retaining sheltered homeless in a smoking cessation program. Counseling plus pharmacotherapy options may be effective in helping sheltered homeless smokers quit.Effects of a Social Media Intervention on Vaping Intentions : Randomized Dose-Response Experiment
AbstractEvans, W. D., Bingenheimer, J., Cantrell, J., Kreslake, J., Tulsiani, S., Ichimiya, M., D'Esterre, A. P., Gerard, R., Martin, M., & Hair, E. C. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Journal of medical Internet researchVolume
26Issue
1AbstractBackground: e-Cigarette use, especially by young adults, is at unacceptably high levels and represents a public health risk factor. Digital media are increasingly being used to deliver antivaping campaigns, but little is known about their effectiveness or the dose-response effects of content delivery. Objective: The objectives of this study were to evaluate (1) the effectiveness of a 60-day antivaping social media intervention in changing vaping use intentions and beliefs related to the stimulus content and (2) the dose-response effects of varying levels of exposure to the intervention on vaping outcomes, including anti-industry beliefs, vaping intentions, and other attitudes and beliefs related to vaping. Methods: Participants were adults aged 18 to 24 years in the United States. They were recruited into the study through Facebook (Meta Platforms) and Instagram (Meta Platforms), completed a baseline survey, and then randomized to 1 of the 5 conditions: 0 (control), 4, 8, 16, and 32 exposures over a 15-day period between each survey wave. Follow-up data were collected 30 and 60 days after randomization. We conducted stratified analyses of the full sample and in subsamples defined by the baseline vaping status (never, former, and current). Stimulus was delivered through Facebook and Instagram in four 15-second social media videos focused on anti-industry beliefs about vaping. The main outcome measures reported in this study were self-reported exposure to social media intervention content, attitudes and beliefs about vaping, and vaping intentions. We estimated a series of multivariate linear regressions in Stata 17 (StataCorp). To capture the dose-response effect, we assigned each study arm a numerical value corresponding to the number of advertisements (exposures) delivered to participants in each arm and used this number as our focal independent variable. In each model, the predictor was the treatment arm to which each participant was assigned. Results: The baseline sample consisted of 1491 participants, and the final analysis sample consisted of 57.28% (854/1491) of the participants retained at the 60-day follow-up. We compared the retained participants with those lost to follow-up and found no statistically significant differences across demographic variables. We found a significant effect of the social media treatment on vaping intentions (β=−0.138, 95% CI −0.266 to −0.010; P = .04) and anti-industry beliefs (β=−0.122, 95% CI 0.008-0.237; P = .04) targeted by the intervention content among current vapers but not among the full sample or other strata. We found no significant effects of self-reported exposure to the stimulus. Conclusions: Social media interventions are a promising approach to preventing vaping among young adults. More research is needed on how to optimize the dosage of such interventions and the extent to which long-term exposure may affect vaping use over time.Effects of a social media intervention on vaping intentions: randomized dose-response experiment
AbstractEvans, D., Bingenheimer, J., Cantrell, J., Kreslake, J., Tulsiani, S., Ichimiya, M., D’Esterre, A., Gerard, R., Martin, M., & Hair, E. (n.d.).Publication year
2024Journal title
Journal of Medical Internet ResearchAbstractE-cigarette use, especially by young adults, is at unacceptably high levels and represents a public health risk factor. Digital media are increasingly being used to deliver antivaping campaigns, but little is known about their effectiveness or the dose-response effects of content delivery. The objectives of this study were to evaluate (1) the effectiveness of a 60-day antivaping social media intervention in changing vaping use intentions and beliefs related to the stimulus content and (2) the dose-response effects of varying levels of exposure to the intervention on vaping outcomes, including anti-industry beliefs, vaping intentions, and other attitudes and beliefs related to vaping. Participants were adults aged 18 to 24 years in the United States. They were recruited into the study through Facebook (Meta Platforms) and Instagram (Meta Platforms), completed a baseline survey, and then randomized to 1 of the 5 conditions: 0 (control), 4, 8, 16, and 32 exposures over a 15-day period between each survey wave. Follow-up data were collected 30 and 60 days after randomization. We conducted stratified analyses of the full sample and in subsamples defined by the baseline vaping status (never, former, and current). Stimulus was delivered through Facebook and Instagram in four 15-second social media videos focused on anti-industry beliefs about vaping. The main outcome measures reported in this study were self-reported exposure to social media intervention content, attitudes and beliefs about vaping, and vaping intentions. We estimated a series of multivariate linear regressions in Stata 17 (StataCorp). To capture the dose-response effect, we assigned each study arm a numerical value corresponding to the number of advertisements (exposures) delivered to participants in each arm and used this number as our focal independent variable. In each model, the predictor was the treatment arm to which each participant was assigned. The baseline sample consisted of 1491 participants, and the final analysis sample consisted of 57.28% (854/1491) of the participants retained at the 60-day follow-up. We compared the retained participants with those lost to follow-up and found no statistically significant differences across demographic variables. We found a significant effect of the social media treatment on vaping intentions (β=−0.138, 95% CI −0.266 to −0.010; P=.04) and anti-industry beliefs (β=−0.122, 95% CI 0.008-0.237; P=.04) targeted by the intervention content among current vapers but not among the full sample or other strata. We found no significant effects of self-reported exposure to the stimulus. Social media interventions are a promising approach to preventing vaping among young adults. More research is needed on how to optimize the dosage of such interventions and the extent to which long-term exposure may affect vaping use over time.