Anti-smoking campaigns on Facebook that discuss the risks of second-hand smoking on pets receive the most user engagement

Mary Cunningham — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 16:12:19 +0000

Anti-smoking campaigns on Facebook that discuss the risks of second-hand smoking on pets receive the most user engagement Mary Cunningham Thu, 04/06/2023 - 12:12

In This Story

Hong Xue, PhD

Gilbert Gimm, PhD, FGSA

Currently, 12.5% of U.S. adults smoke cigarettes. At the same time, more than one-third of U.S. adults seek health information online, making social media a potentially powerful platform for anti-tobacco campaigns. However, limited research has been done on effective social media strategies for anti-smoking campaigns.

Hong Xue, associate professor

An interprofessional Mason research team led by Associate Professors in the Department of Health Administration and Policy Hong Xue and Gilbert Gimm found that the most popular anti-tobacco campaigns on Facebook were informational and discussed the negative effects of smoking. New information about harmful chemicals and the risks of second-hand smoke on pets were the most engaged with posts.

“Our results show that people respond to messaging on how smoking negatively affects the lives of those they care about, including pets. Messages that are personally meaningful to smokers can help to generate positive behavioral changes among smokers,” said Xue, the principal investigator. “Anti-tobacco campaigns can use these findings to improve their campaigns, better engage the public, and more effectively promote reasons to stop smoking.”

Gilbert Gimm, associate professor

This is the first large-scale social media data mining study that examined key anti-tobacco campaigns in the United States. Researchers also found that large campaigns from government and nonprofit organizations had more user engagement compared to smaller and local campaigns. Facebook users were much more likely to engage in campaign messages with videos.

“Social Media Data Mining of Antitobacco Campaign Messages: Machine Learning Analysis of Facebook Posts” was published in The Journal of Medical Internet Research in February 2023. The project was funded by a research grant from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth.

From Mason, Professor Xiaoquan Zhao in the Department of Communication, Professor Hemant Purohit in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology, and doctoral student Shuo-yu Lin were also researchers on the study. Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, and Changshu Institute of Technology (China) also contributed to the study.

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public health research

Dr. Alison Evans Cuellar announced as Interim Associate Dean of Research at George Mason University College of Public Health

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 16:47:32 +0000

Dr. Alison Evans Cuellar announced as Interim Associate Dean of Research at George Mason University College of Public Health Mary Cunningham Wed, 03/15/2023 - 12:47

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Alison Evans Cuellar, PhD, MBA

Melissa J. Perry, Sc.D., MHS

The College of Public Health is pleased to announce Alison Evans Cuellar, PhD, MBA, will lead efforts to advance research initiatives as the Interim Associate Dean of Research. Dr. Cuellar has been a professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy since 2009, has served on prominent taskforces, and served as the College’s Interim Associate Dean of Research for the College in 2018-2019.

“Dr. Cuellar is a national leader on health policy research with an impressive portfolio of high-impact research and interprofessional leadership at the local and national levels. She is a natural choice to serve as Interim Associate Dean of Research,” said Dean of the College of Public Health Melissa Perry, Sc.D., MHS. “Her dedication, experience, and commitment to public health will enable Dr. Cuellar to thrive supporting research faculty throughout the pre-and post-award process and fostering internal and external collaborations. Under her guidance, the College’s research portfolio will continue to grow in service to Mason’s research goals.”

Dr. Cuellar has extensive research experience in health care systems, Medicaid, behavioral health, and justice-involved populations. Her scholarly work includes evaluating new organizational forms, such as hospital systems and physician alliances and their effects on quality, efficiency, costs, and prices. Currently, she is engaged in research related to Medicaid perinatal care, equity, and payment.

Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Institute of Justice, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and private foundations including National Institute for Health Care Management, Robert Wood Johnson, and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur, among others.

Dr. Cuellar was recently appointed to The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Improving the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Youth through Health Care System Transformation committee. Additionally, Dr. Cuellar was appointed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as Chair of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF), an independent, nonfederal panel of public health and prevention experts that provides recommendations and findings on programs, services, and other interventions to protect and improve population health.

Read Cuellar’s full bio here.

Holly Park, MBA, will continue as interim assistant dean of research as of March 25. The College thanks Park for her service during this transition.

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Public Health

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