Examining the mediating and moderating factors in the relationships between social media engagement and ENDS use and dependence among young adults - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use by young adults has substantially increased in the last few years and surpassed that of older adults in 2014. Recent years have witnessed a shift in promotion of ENDS products from traditional media to social media (SM). Young adults are heavy SM users, who are vulnerable to persuasive advertising messages because they may not be able to recognize the selling intent of well- produced SM advertising. Moreover, advertising of ENDS products on SM is currently unregulated. Young adults also are more likely than all other age groups to use other tobacco products (e.g., cigarettes, cigars) and report depression; and close peers continue to influence their ENDS use. Although there is evidence that exposure to and engagement with ENDS information on SM are significantly associated with ENDS use among young adults, there is a paucity of multi-wave longitudinal research examining the mediators and moderators of these associations. There is a critical need for longitudinal research to a) examine the cognitive factors that explain, or mediate, the associations between exposure to and engagement with ENDS information on SM and subsequent ENDS use and dependence (SM-ENDS associations), and b) determine whether the mediated associations vary, or are moderated, by intra- or interpersonal factors to guide policy-making and anti-ENDS campaign message design. Thus, the primary objective of this R15 is to identify the mediators and moderators of the longitudinal associations between SM and subsequent ENDS use and dependence among young adults. Based on the reasoned action approach, we will examine cognitive factors (normative beliefs, benefit beliefs, and harm beliefs of using ENDS) as mediators, and investigate intra-personal (i.e., sex, other tobacco use, depressive symptoms) and interpersonal (i.e., ENDS use among close friends) factors as moderators. The Specific Aims of the proposed projects are to 1) identify the cognitive mediators of the longitudinal SM-ENDS associations, and 2) determine the intra- and inter-personal moderators of the indirect associations between exposure to and engagement with ENDS information on SM and subsequent ENDS use and dependence one year later through cognitions. Data for the proposed project will be drawn from a three-wave, bi-annual longitudinal study that tracks a nationally-representative cohort of 1,000 18-30-year-olds young adults. This project will support at least one graduate student and three undergraduate students in each of the three years, who will receive training and mentorship on synthesizing literature, designing studies, programming and pilot testing surveys, analyzing data, and reporting findings effectively in oral and written formats, which will benefit their future careers. If successful, the findings will serve as the basis for a subsequent R01 to design and evaluate SM-based ENDS campaign messages targeting young adults and the significant mediators and moderators. Young adulthood is the period when the pathway to lifelong tobacco use is established. The long- term goal is to prevent and reduce ENDS use among young adults before it is established.
