Content Analysis of YouTube Videos Related to E-Cigarettes and COVID-19

Abstract

Background

E-cigarettes are frequently promoted on social media and portrayed in ways that are attractive to youth. While the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected people’s lives, less is known about how the pandemic influenced e-cigarette-related marketing and information on social media. This study examined how e-cigarettes were portrayed on youtube, one of the most popular social media platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We searched for combinations of search terms related to e-cigarettes (e.g., “electronic cigarette” and “vape”) and COVID-19 (e.g., “corona” and “COVID”) in July of 2021. To be included in analyses, videos must be: uploaded after February 1, 2020, in English, related to e-cigarettes and COVID-19, and less than 30 min in length. We conducted a content analysis of included videos, coding for uploader characteristics, what e-cigarette products were showcased, and specific themes that intersected between e-cigarettes and COVID-19.

Results

We examined N = 307 videos and found that N = 220 (73.6%) discussed the health effects of e-cigarette use on COVID-19, followed by videos on how COVID-19 affects e-cigarette sales (N = 40, 12.9%), face mask-related videos (N = 16, 5.1%; e.g., vape tricks including masks) and instructional videos (N = 10, 3.2%; e.g., sanitizing vape devices during COVID-19). Instructional videos had the highest number of likes (Median = 23; IQR = 32) and comments (Median = 10; IQR = 7).

Conclusions

Our findings support the need for continuous surveillance and research on novel vaping-related content in reaction to policies and events, such as the global pandemic. More research is needed to understand the impact of this content on young people’s perceptions and use of e-cigarettes.

Keywords:

• Covid-19
• social media
• tobacco

Declaration of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by grant number R01DA049878 (PI: G, Kong) from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and FDA Center for Tobacco Products (CTP). Juhan Lee’s effort on this publication was also supported by grant number U54DA036151 from NIDA and the FDA CTP. Rachel Ouellette’s effort on this publication was supported by NIDA, grant number T32 5T32DA019426-18 (PI: Tebes). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or the FDA.