Exposure to tobacco websites: Associations with cigarette and e-cigarette use and susceptibility among adolescents

Introduction: Exposure to tobacco advertising is a risk factor for tobacco use and susceptibility among adolescents. Although tobacco company websites are ostensibly targeted to adults, some youth access these websites and are exposed to tobacco-related content. Methods: This study analyzed data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) survey to estimate the prevalence of exposure to tobacco websites and the associations between website exposure and tobacco product use and susceptibility among adolescents in the United States. Results: Although only 2.3% of youth had ever visited a tobacco company website, youth who visited tobacco company websites were 3.2 times more likely to have used cigarettes and 3.0 times more likely to have used e cigarettes in the past month, relative to those who had not visited a tobacco website. Among never-users, those who had visited tobacco company websites were 2.4 times more likely to be susceptible to cigarettes and 2.9 times more likely to be susceptible to e-cigarettes. Conclusions: Results indicate that more effective regulations are needed to prevent youth from accessing tobacco websites. Stricter age verification procedures on websites could minimize exposure to tobacco websites by youth.