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Exposure to positive peer sentiment about nicotine replacement therapy in an online smoking cessation community is associated with NRT use
- Source :
- Addictive Behaviors. 87:39-45
- Publication Year :
- 2018
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2018.
-
Abstract
- Background Little is known about the influence of online peer interactions on health behavior change. This study examined the relationship between exposure to peer sentiment about nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in an online social network for smoking cessation and NRT use. Methods Participants were 3297 current smokers who enrolled in an Internet smoking cessation program, participated in a randomized trial, and completed a 3-month follow-up. Half received free NRT as part of the trial. Automated text classification identified 27,038 posts about NRT that one or more participants were exposed to in the social network. Sentiment towards NRT was rated on Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants' exposure to peer sentiment about NRT was determined by analysis of clickstream data. Modified Poisson regression examined self-reported use of NRT at 3-months as a function of exposure to NRT sentiment, controlling for study arm and post exposure. Results One in five participants (19.3%, n = 639) were exposed to any NRT-related posts (mean exposure = 6.5 ± 14.7, mean sentiment = 5.4 ± 0.8). The association between sentiment exposure and NRT use varied by receipt of free NRT. Greater exposure to positive NRT sentiment was associated with an increased likelihood of NRT use among participants who did not receive free NRT (adjusted rate ratio 1.22, 95% CI 1.01, 1.47; p = .043), whereas no such relationship was observed among participants who did receive free NRT (p = .48). Conclusions Exposure to positive sentiment about NRT was associated with increased NRT use when smokers obtained it on their own. Highlighting user-generated content containing positive NRT sentiment may increase NRT use among treatment-seeking smokers.
- Subjects :
- Male
020205 medical informatics
medicine.medical_treatment
Medicine (miscellaneous)
02 engineering and technology
Toxicology
Rate ratio
Social Networking
law.invention
0302 clinical medicine
Randomized controlled trial
law
0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering
030212 general & internal medicine
health care economics and organizations
Peer interaction
Behavior change
Tobacco Use Disorder
Middle Aged
Tobacco Use Cessation Devices
Psychiatry and Mental health
Clinical Psychology
Online Social Networking
behavior and behavior mechanisms
symbols
Female
Attitude to Health
Adult
medicine.medical_specialty
Adolescent
behavioral disciplines and activities
Peer Group
Article
Young Adult
03 medical and health sciences
symbols.namesake
health services administration
mental disorders
medicine
Humans
Poisson regression
Psychiatry
Aged
Internet
business.industry
Nicotine replacement therapy
Smoking cessation
Smoking Cessation
Observational study
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 03064603
- Volume :
- 87
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Addictive Behaviors
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....4f0e1530ad8af5205de887ee7c38dda7