E-Cigarette

Associate Professor Hong Xue will revolutionize smoking cession programs with AI-powered tool

Taylor Thomas — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 15:24:41 +0000

Associate Professor Hong Xue will revolutionize smoking cession programs with AI-powered tool Taylor Thomas Fri, 07/12/2024 - 11:24

In This Story

Hong Xue, PhD

Health Administration and Policy Associate Professor Hong Xue is developing an innovative, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered intervention to help reduce electronic cigarette (EC) use among Virginia youth. The project titled "Innovating and Implementing Youth Tobacco Prevention in Virginia" is funded in part by a $450,000 grant from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY). This project aims to address the alarming increase in EC use among adolescents. According to the VFHY, the prevalence of current EC use among middle school students rose from 0.6% in 2011 to 4.6% in 2023, and among high school students, it increased from 1.5% in 2011 to 10% in 2023, highlighting the urgent need for effective prevention strategies.

“Our AI-driven EC cessation intervention will revolutionize current cessation strategies, making them more personalized, timely, and effective,” said Xue, the principal investigator. The project will also evaluate existing youth EC cessation programs in the U.S., providing valuable insights for future policy and intervention strategies.

Xue’s project seeks to address this need by developing innovative interventions powered by AI and augmented reality (AR) which will provide an immersive and interactive experience to promote user engagement. This project aligns with Xue’s well-established research in tobacco use prevention and control, reinforcing his role as a leader in public health innovation.

The VFHY grant not only supports the development of cutting-edge interventions but also sets the stage for future research and policy initiatives aimed at tackling youth tobacco use in Virginia and beyond. Xue’s work exemplifies George Mason University’s commitment to advancing public health through innovative research and technology.

Topics

digital innovation

Artificial Intelligence

Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP)

Department of Health Administration and Policy

E-Cigarette

Tobacco Prevention

Innovate for Good

New Policy Study Focuses on Tobacco Prevention and Reduction in Virginia Youth

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 20:17:51 +0000

New Policy Study Focuses on Tobacco Prevention and Reduction in Virginia Youth Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 01/13/2022 - 15:17

In This Story

Hong Xue, PhD

New three-year study seeks to understand the effects of policy tools and prevention strategies on youth tobacco use

Youth smoking remains a significant public health problem in the U.S. and in Virginia. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2019, 22.5 percent of Virginia high school youth reported currently using any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes.

Hong Xue, PhD

Hong Xue, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy, is conducting a novel simulation modeling study of youth smoking and prevention on the effects of policy and prevention strategies on the use of conventional and e-cigarettes in Virginia adolescents.

Xue and his interdisciplinary research team including Co-investigator Dr. Xiaoquan Zhao, professor in Mason’s Department of Communication, will address regulatory actions, marketing influences, and communications related to youth tobacco prevention and control. The team will examine the effects of tobacco retail regulations, estimate the effects of fiscal policy tools on conventional and e-cigarettes, and test social media-based tobacco prevention strategies and evaluate the impact on tobacco use, knowledge, beliefs, and behavior in Virginia youth.

“Our findings will support the efforts to advance legislative issues in Virginia and at the federal level for smoking prevention and control,” says Xue. Research results will also inform public health and social media strategies aimed at youth.

This research is funded by a $450,000 grant from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth. The research team includes faculty and experts from George Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University, the College of William and Mary, Georgetown University, and Georgia State University.

Topics

Child and Adolescent Health

Study Shows Link between Using Snapchat and Vaping in College Students

John Brandon Cantrell — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 13:05:03 +0000

Study Shows Link between Using Snapchat and Vaping in College Students John Brandon C… Tue, 09/14/2021 - 09:05

Topics

Social Media

Health Administration

In This Story

Hong Xue, PhD

Alison Evans Cuellar, PhD, MBA

Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD

Each additional hour per day spent on Snapchat associated with a 4.61% increase in the probability of lifetime e-cigarette use.

Xue and his colleagues found that college-age e-cigarette users who spent more time on Snapchat had a higher prevalence of lifetime e-cigarette use as well as an increased frequency of e-cigarette use in the past 30 days. Photo Credit: Thought Catalog on Unsplash

As the Food and Drug Administration begins to issue rulings on the marketing and sale of e-cigarette products, health researchers are seeking more information on what influence, if any, social media use might have on vaping, especially among college students.

In a first-of-its-kind study, Associate Professor Hong Xue and Professors Alison Cuellar and Lawrence Cheskin in George Mason University’s College of Health and Human Services, and colleagues examined associations between the amount of time spent on specific social media sites and the use of both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes.

While most of the social media platforms reviewed in the study showed no significant association with vaping, Xue and his colleagues did find that college-age e-cigarette users who spent more time on Snapchat did have a higher prevalence of lifetime e-cigarette use as well as an increased frequency of e-cigarette use in the past 30 days.

College-age e-cigarette users who are occasional or regular vapers spend an average of just over two hours a day on Snapchat, according to the study. Non-users, on the other hand, spend less than an hour each day on the app. The study also found that each extra hour on Snapchat was associated with a 4.61 percent increase in likelihood of lifetime e-cigarette use.

“Our findings provide evidence of the important role that social media may play in promoting engagement in risky health behaviors for young adults, such as e-cigarette use,” says Xue. “Scientific evidence is urgently needed to inform interventions and policies that can reverse the trend.”

While traditional tobacco use among young people has declined over the years, estimates from the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey showed that more than one in four high school students were current e-cigarette users. Those students, now in college, are also heavy social media users. A 2018 Pew Research Center study showed that 75 percent of young adults had used Instagram and 73 percent used Snapchat, with more than three-fourths of users aged 18 to 29 reporting that they use the apps daily.

The study also examined whether social media might influence traditional cigarette use. The research team did not find an association between cigarette smoking and any of the major platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram.

The research team used data from the Mason: Health Starts Here cohort study for their observational study. The study included 298 first-year college students at a large state university. In addition to Cuellar, Cheskin, and Xue, the research team included Shuo-Yu Lin, Xiaolu Cheng, Matthew Rossheim, and Dustin Gress.

Adults with Cognitive Disabilities More than Twice as Likely to Use E-Cigarettes

dhawkin — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 13:46:51 +0000

Adults with Cognitive Disabilities More than Twice as Likely to Use E-Cigarettes dhawkin Wed, 01/27/2021 - 08:46

Dr. Gilbert Gimm and colleagues found that e-cigarette use was more than twice as likely among adults with a cognitive disability (12.0%), an independent living disability (11.0%), or two or more disabilities (9.2%), compared to adults without disabilities (4.8%).

Topics

CHHS Research

College of Health and Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Department of Health Administration and Policy

In This Story

Gilbert Gimm, PhD, FGSA

George Mason University study is the first to assess the use of e-cigarettes among working-age adults by type of disability.

The rapid growth of e-cigarette use is a major public health problem in the United States – with significant attention on use among adolescents and young adults. Although manufacturers of e-cigarettes tout their products as safer alternatives to cigarette smoking, research has shown that e-cigarettes can be as hazardous as traditional tobacco products but appeal to those who were never cigarette smokers.

In the first study to assess national use of e-cigarettes among adults with disabilities, George Mason University’s College of Health and Human Services researchers found that adults with disabilities were twice as likely to use e-cigarettes (8.4%) than adults without disabilities (4.8%), but the prevalence of e-cigarette use varied by type of disability.

Dr. Gilbert Gimm led the study published in Disability and Health Journal.

“Previous studies have found that e-cigarette use is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, depression, and adverse health outcomes. Also, smokers with disabilities are less likely to receive advice from their physicians to stop smoking,” explains Gimm. “Our study shows that adults with disabilities are a high-risk group for e-cigarette use and therefore at greater risk for adverse health outcomes.”

Gimm and colleagues assessed e-cigarette use among 560,858 working age adults (18-64 years) with and without disabilities by using data from the 2017-2018 Behavioral Risk Factor and Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. With a nationally representative sample, they estimated the prevalence of e-cigarette use among adults by type of disability.

They found that e-cigarette use was more than twice as likely among adults with a cognitive disability (12.0%), an independent living disability (11.0%), or two or more disabilities (9.2%), compared to adults without disabilities (4.8%). Adults with disabilities who were previously smokers were more likely to use e-cigarettes than adults with disabilities who never smoked.

“We know from prior studies that adults with cognitive disabilities have higher rates of mental health conditions such as severe depression and anxiety, and we think this might be a reason for greater e-cigarette use among this population,” adds Gimm. “Detailed information on mental health conditions wasn’t available in our sample, so we hope future research can shed light on this potential contributor to e-cigarette use in these groups.”

Regardless of reported disability status, men were more likely to use e-cigarettes than women, and young adults (18-24 years) were six times as likely use e-cigarettes than middle-aged adults (45-54 years). Adults with COPD or depression were also more likely to use e-cigarettes.

This study highlights the need for more targeted smoking cessation treatments for adults with cognitive disabilities and other high-risk groups. In the future, Gimm and colleagues plan to conduct future research on the use of e-cigarettes among adults with disabilities.

About George Mason University
George Mason University is Virginia's largest and most diverse public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. For more information, visit https://www2.gmu.edu/.

About the College of Health and Human Services
George Mason University's College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. George Mason is the fastest-growing Research I institution in the country. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,370 graduate students in its nationally-recognized offerings, including: 5 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 7 certificate programs. The college is transitioning to a college public health in the near future. For more information, visit https://chhs.gmu.edu/.