Co-production of a youth advocacy video on the harms of e-cigarette advertising in Scotland.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate young people's exposure to and perceptions of e-cigarette advertising to co-produce an advocacy video. This focus on e-cigarette marketing and its targeted appeal to young people comes at a crucial juncture, as policymakers in the UK and Scotland channel considerable efforts into shaping new regulations in response to these concerns, such as banning disposable e-cigarettes. The research to co-design a video was conducted with 33 young people aged between 12 and 16 living in the Central Belt of Scotland. The research comprised four stages: workshops, photo elicitation, focus groups and video development. Young people expressed concerns regarding the potential health effects of e-cigarettes, the ubiquity of e-cigarette advertising and products seemingly directed at young people, and the use of e-cigarettes among their peers. While none of our participants identified themselves as e-cigarette users, and all were below the age of 18, some mentioned seeing targeted advertisements for e-cigarettes online. These concerns were also reflected in participants' contributions to the video production process. Our findings highlight that young people feel overly exposed to e-cigarette advertising and they identified aspects of these adverts (including the use of vibrant colours and flavour variations) that they felt were designed to appeal specifically to young people. These findings suggest the need for stronger legislation to protect young people from the advertising and marketing of e-cigarettes. Further research might also usefully contribute to understanding counterarguments and marketing from public health advocates to limit the appeal of e-cigarettes to young people.