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Introduction Previous research has identified abundant e-cigarette content on social media using primarily text-based approaches. However, frequently used social media platforms among youth, such as TikTok, contain primarily visual content, requiring the ability to detect e-cigarette-related content across large sets of videos and images. This study aims to use a computer vision technique to detect e-cigarette-related objects in TikTok videos. Aims and Methods We searched 13 hashtags related to vaping on TikTok (eg, #vape) in November 2022 and obtained 826 still images extracted from a random selection of 254 posts. We annotated images for the presence of vaping devices, hands, and/or vapor clouds. We developed a YOLOv7-based computer vision model to detect these objects using 85% of extracted images (N  = 705) for training and 15% (N  = 121) for testing. Results Our model's recall value was 0.77 for all three classes: vape devices, hands, and vapor. Our model correctly classified vape devices 92.9% of the time, with an average F1 score of 0.81. Conclusions The findings highlight the importance of having accurate and efficient methods to identify e-cigarette content on popular video-based social media platforms like TikTok. Our findings indicate that automated computer vision methods can successfully detect a range of e-cigarette-related content, including devices and vapor clouds, across images from TikTok posts. These approaches can be used to guide research and regulatory efforts. Implications Object detection, a computer vision machine learning model, can accurately and efficiently identify e-cigarette content on a primarily visual-based social media platform by identifying the presence of vaping devices and evidence of e-cigarette use (eg, hands and vapor clouds). The methods used in this study can inform computational surveillance systems for detecting e-cigarette content on video- and image-based social media platforms to inform and enforce regulations of e-cigarette content on social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: While research has documented associations between recall of point-of-sale (POS) tobacco marketing and youth tobacco use, much of the research is cross-sectional and focused on cigarettes. The present longitudinal study examined recall of tobacco marketing at the POS and multiple types of tobacco use 6 months later.Methods: The Texas Adolescent Tobacco Advertising and Marketing Surveillance System (TATAMS) is a large-scale, representative study of 6th, 8th, and 10th graders in 79 middle and high schools in five counties in Texas. Weighted logistic regression examined associations between recall of tobacco advertisements and products on display at baseline and ever use, current use, and susceptibility to use for cigarette, e-cigarette, cigar, and smokeless products 6 months later.Results: Students' recall of signs marketing e-cigarettes at baseline predicted ever e-cigarette use and increased susceptibility to use e-cigarettes at follow-up, across all store types. Recall of e-cigarette displays only predicted susceptibility to use e-cigarettes at follow-up, across all store types. Both recall of signs marketing cigars and cigar product displays predicted current and ever cigar smoking and increased susceptibility to smoking cigars at follow-up, across all store types. Recall of cigarette and smokeless product marketing and displays was not associated with tobacco use measures.Conclusion: The POS environment continues to be an important influence on youth tobacco use. Restrictions on POS marketing, particularly around schools, are warranted.Implications: Cross-sectional studies have shown that exposure to POS cigarette marketing is associated with use of cigarettes among youth, though longitudinal evidence of the same is sparse and mixed. Cross-sectional studies have found that recall of cigars, smokeless product, and e-cigarette tobacco marketing at POS is associated with curiosity about tobacco use or intentions to use tobacco among youth, but limited longitudinal research has been conducted. Findings from the present longitudinal study suggest that recall of tobacco marketing at retail POS predicts ever use of e-cigarettes and cigars, current use of cigars, and susceptibility to cigar and e-cigarette use among youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study assesses the relationship between tobacco/e-cigarette marketing exposure and single, dual, and polytobacco product use, among adolescents. Given the increased use of noncigarette tobacco products (eg, cigars, e-cigarettes, hookah) among youth, it is imperative to understand if marketing exposure is associated with dual and polytobacco product use.Methods: Data were obtained from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey and weighted to be representative of US middle and high school students. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression models were used to assess the relationships between product marketing (via internet, print, retail, and TV/movies) and past 30-day single, dual, and poly (three or more) tobacco product use. Three analyses were conducted using different categories as referent groups to allow for comprehensive examination of the relationships between all groups.Results: Marketing exposure was significantly correlated with a greater risk of single, dual, and polytobacco product use relative to nonusers. Relative to single product users, product marketing exposure was significantly correlated with a greater relative risk of dual and polytobacco use. There was no statistical difference in the association of marketing exposure between dual and polytobacco use, in any model.Conclusion: A positive relationship between tobacco product marketing exposure and number of tobacco products used was observed. The magnitude of the relationship grew from single product to dual/poly use. Restrictions of marketing of all tobacco products, similar to cigarettes, particularly in the retail setting, should be considered.Implications: This study has two primary public health implications. First, self-reported exposure to tobacco/e-cigarette marketing is widespread among adolescents of all tobacco product categories. Second, this widespread exposure to tobacco/e-cigarette marketing appears to not only be correlated with use of a single tobacco product (eg, cigarettes, e-cigarettes), but also multiple tobacco products. While longitudinal studies are needed to further investigate the relationships observed in this study, findings justify further study given the known relationship between tobacco marketing exposure and subsequent cigarette use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]