Cabral Bigman | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (original) (raw)

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Papers by Cabral Bigman

Journal of Communication, 2013

shaping public support and collective action to reduce health disparities.

This study describes prevalence and correlates of US adults' intentions to engage in assertive co... more This study describes prevalence and correlates of US adults' intentions to engage in assertive communication (i.e., speak up) about others' smoking and vaping in public venues. Methods: Participants from a nationally representative online survey of 1551 US adults conducted October–December 2013 reported intentions to ask others not to smoke/vape in three types of public venues (restaurants, bars/casinos/nightclubs, and parks). We examined weighted prevalence of intentions and conducted weighted logistic regression. Results: Fifty-two percent of participants reported being likely to ask someone not to smoke in at least one venue compared with 19% for vaping. Assertive communication intentions for smoking in restaurants (48%), bars/casinos/nightclubs (35%), and parks (32%) were higher than for vaping (16%, 14%, and 12%, respectively). Significant correlates of assertive communication intentions in one or more venues were current smoking status, ever trying e-cigarettes, gender, age, health status, political ideology, and party identification. Conclusions: US adults were more willing to ask others not to smoke than vape. Intentions to speak up about smoking and vaping differed by venue, demographics, and cigarette/e-cigarette use. These findings help establish an evidence base to inform policymakers in developing strategies to promote compliance with smoke-free and vape-free laws.

Drug Safety, 2009

Background: The US FDA and lay media are important sources of information for the public about th... more Background: The US FDA and lay media are important sources of information for the public about the risks of adverse events associated with drugs, yet the quality of FDA and US lay media reports about medication 'black-box' warnings, which highlight potentially severe adverse events from medications, is unknown. Objective: To determine and compare the content of FDA and US lay media reports about medication black-box warnings. Methods: We assessed FDA and US lay media reports about medication black-box warnings published or aired between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2007 for the presence of six core message components, including (i) the affected drug's brand name; (ii) generic name; (iii) treatment indication; (iv) reason for the black-box warning; (v) clinical recommendations for patients, such as warning signs and symptoms of the adverse effect addressed by the black-box warning; and (vi) encouragement to discuss the issue with a healthcare provider, and additional characteristics. Results: FDA reports presented more core information than lay media reports (median 5 vs 3 message components; p < 0.001). FDA reports were more likely to mention generic names (84.6% vs 18.1%; p < 0.001) of affected drugs, while lay media reports less frequently detailed clinical recommendations for patients (43.9% vs 96.2%; p < 0.001). Only 10.6% of lay media reports encouraged patients to seek additional information from their healthcare provider, compared with 48.1% of FDA reports (p < 0.001).

Encyclopedia of Health Communication, 2014

Health Communication, 2016

As countries implement Article 11 of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on ... more As countries implement Article 11 of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, graphic warning labels that use images of people and their body parts to illustrate the consequences of smoking are being added to cigarette packs. According to exemplification theory, these case examples-exemplars-can shape perceptions about risk and may resonate differently among demographic subpopulations. Drawing on data from eight focus groups (N = 63) with smokers and nonsmokers from vulnerable populations, this qualitative study explores whether people considered exemplars in their reactions to and evaluations of U.S. graphic health warning labels initially proposed by the Food and Drug Administration. Participants made reference to prior and concurrent mass media messages and exemplars during the focus groups and used demographic cues in making sense of the images on the warning labels. Participants were particularly sensitive to age of the exemplars and how it might affect label effectiveness and beliefs about smoking. Race and socioeconomic status also were salient for some participants. We recommend that exemplars and exemplification be considered when selecting and evaluating graphic health warnings for tobacco labels and associated media campaigns.

Drug and alcohol dependence, 2016

E-cigarette use is rapidly increasing, especially among youth and young adults. We need to learn ... more E-cigarette use is rapidly increasing, especially among youth and young adults. We need to learn what factors are associated with uptake in e-cigarettes. One important set of predictors is beliefs about e-cigarettes' potential harms and benefits. Online survey data were collected in July, 2014 from 527 U.S. adults from a nationally representative online panel (KnowledgePanel) who reported being aware of e-cigarettes. Participants were asked to rate 7 statements related to e-cigarettes harms or benefits (e.g., breathing vapors from other people's e-cigarettes is harmful to my health; vaping or using e-cigarettes can help people quit smoking regular cigarettes completely). Responses were categorized into agree, disagree, or no opinion. We compared the proportions of agreement between respondents who ever used e-cigarettes and those who had never used. Multinomial logistic regression was used to predict agree or no opinion versus disagree (base outcome) for each belief. Relativ...

Preventive medicine, Jan 21, 2015

We assessed public support for six e-cigarette regulations and examined whether self-reported exp... more We assessed public support for six e-cigarette regulations and examined whether self-reported exposure to e-cigarette information and contradictory e-cigarette information were associated with support. We conducted an online survey among a nationally representative sample of 527 U.S. adults in July 2014. Weighted, fully adjusted multinomial logistic regression models predicted support for banning e-cigarettes in smoke-free areas, prohibiting e-cigarette sales to youth, requiring addiction warnings, banning flavors, requiring labeling nicotine and harmful ingredients, and banning youth-targeted marketing. Between 34% and 72% supported these six policies (disagreed 6-24%; no opinion 18-38%). We found higher support for policies to protect youth (prohibit sales to youth and youth-targeted marketing) and to require labeling e-cigarette constituents (nicotine and harmful ingredients). Banning the use of flavors in e-cigarettes was the least supported. Overall information exposure predict...

Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2015

Community engagement and capacity building is vital to addressing health disparities at the commu... more Community engagement and capacity building is vital to addressing health disparities at the community level. As part of our efforts to foster community engagement and capacity building, we recruited and trained sixteen high school and community college students to conduct the population based survey for our federally funded community-based participatory research project. Project IMPACT (Influencing the Media and Public Agenda on Cancer and Tobacco Disparities) aims to build capacity in Lawrence, Massachusetts by mobilizing community groups to change the public agenda on health and tobacco-related disparities. To this end we are first examining the current media environment and public opinion on health disparities. Second, we are developing an intervention targeting staff at community-based organizations that work with underserved populations and ethnic and minority groups. The intervention will focus on how to work with local media to advance the public agenda around health and toba...

Background: Although some state electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) regulations exist, the U.S. Fo... more Background: Although some state electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) regulations exist, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) does not currently regulate e-cigarettes. Alongside proliferation of e-cigarette advertising, e-cigarettes have received attention in news and entertainment; there has been some coverage of their unsettled regulatory status. This study explores whether communication inequalities are emerging among young adults—the group most likely to try e-cigarettes—by examining relationships between sociodemographic characteristics, exposure to mediated information about e-cigarettes, and knowledge of FDA regulation. Method: Online survey among a purposive sample of 900 racially/ethnically diverse young adults (aged 18-34 years). Using logistic regression, we examined sociodemographic predictors of exposure to e-cigarette information through advertising, news, social media, and entertainment media and knowledge of FDA regulation of e-cigarette for safety and smoking cess...

Objectives: E-cigarettes are frequently advertised and portrayed in the media as less harmful com... more Objectives: E-cigarettes are frequently advertised and portrayed in the media as less harmful compared with regular cigarettes. Earlier surveys reported public perceptions of harms to people using e-cigarettes; however, public perceptions of harms from exposure to secondhand vapour (SHV) have not been studied. We examined associations between self-reported exposure to e-cigarette advertising, media coverage, and interpersonal discussion and perceived harms of SHV.

Background: The FDA is proposing regulating e-cigarettes as tobacco products. Research suggests a... more Background: The FDA is proposing regulating e-cigarettes as tobacco products. Research suggests a link between perceptions about FDA regulation and product safety beliefs. We examined whether knowledge of FDA regulations and perceived harms of e-cigarettes predict public support for restricting vaping in public venues. Method: Online survey of a nationally representative sample of 960 adults. Using structural equation modeling, we analyzed the relationship between knowledge about FDA regulations of e-cigarettes (e.g., “for safe use”) and support for restricting vaping in public venues (restaurants, bars/casinos/clubs, and parks). Mediators were perceived harms of e-cigarettes (harmful to one’s health, impact of breathing vapors, and e-cigarettes harms compared with regular cigarettes). Analyses were weighted to the U.S. adult population and adjusted for demographic covariates. Results: About 15% of respondents thought the FDA regulates e-cigarettes, 19-21% accurately reported no FDA...

This study investigated psychological mechanisms underlying the effect of narrative health commun... more This study investigated psychological mechanisms underlying the effect of narrative health communication on behavioral intention. Specifically, the study examined how exemplification in news about successful smoking cessation affects recipients' narrative engagement, thereby changing their intention to quit smoking. Nationally representative samples of U.S. adult smokers participated in 2 experiments. The results from the 2 experiments consistently showed that smokers reading a news article with an exemplar experienced greater narrative engagement compared to those reading an article without an exemplar. Those who reported more engagement were in turn more likely to report greater smoking cessation intentions.

Journal of Communication, 2012

Health Communication, 2014

News about health disparities often compares health risks faced by different demographic groups. ... more News about health disparities often compares health risks faced by different demographic groups. Does this social comparison produce a contrast effect? It was hypothesized that when two racial groups are compared, people would perceive the relatively more at-risk group to be more, and the less at-risk group to be less, at-risk than if the same risk information was presented without the comparative reference group. Three experiments with Black and White respondents tested effects of intergroup social comparison framing (SCF) on perceptions of risk for sexually transmitted infections and skin cancer. SCF (including one White and two Black disparity frames) did not raise respondents&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; perceived risk regarding the more at-risk racial group, but consistently lowered respondents&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; risk ratings for the less at-risk racial group. The finding that the same statistic was perceived differently in comparative and noncomparative contexts underscores the importance of considering effects of communication about disparities.

BMJ Open, 2015

Design: Observational study.

Setting: National online sample of US adults aged ≥18 years.

Participants: 1449 US adults (mean age 49.5 years), 51.3% female, 76.6% non-Hispanic Caucasian, 7.5% African-American, 10.0% Hispanic and 5.9% other races.

Outcomes: Perceived harm measures included (1) harmfulness of SHV to one’s health, (2) concern about health impact of breathing SHV and (3) comparative harm of SHV versus secondhand smoke (SHS). Predictors were (1) self-reported frequency of exposure to e-cigarette advertising, media coverage and interpersonal discussion (close friends or family) and (2) perceived valence of exposure from each source. Covariates were demographic characteristics, cigarette smoking status and e-cigarette use, and were weighted to the general US adult population.

Results: More frequent interpersonal discussion was
associated with lower perceived harmfulness of SHV to one’s health and lower perceived comparative harm of SHV versus SHS. Frequency of e-cigarette ad and other media exposure were not significant predictors. Perceived negative valence of ad exposure and interpersonal discussion (vs no exposure) was associated with higher perceived harm across all three outcomes, while negative valence of media coverage was associated with higher concern about health impact of breathing SHV. Perceived positive valence (vs no exposure) of interpersonal discussion was associated with lower perceived harm across all three outcomes about health impact of breathing SHV.

Conclusions: Exposure to information about e-cigarettes through advertising, media coverage and interpersonal discussion could play a role in shaping public perceptions of the harmfulness of SHV.

BMJ open, 2015

E-cigarettes are frequently advertised and portrayed in the media as less harmful compared with r... more E-cigarettes are frequently advertised and portrayed in the media as less harmful compared with regular cigarettes. Earlier surveys reported public perceptions of harms to people using e-cigarettes; however, public perceptions of harms from exposure to secondhand vapour (SHV) have not been studied. We examined associations between self-reported exposure to e-cigarette advertising, media coverage, and interpersonal discussion and perceived harms of SHV. Observational study. National online sample of US adults aged ≥18 years. 1449 US adults (mean age 49.5 years), 51.3% female, 76.6% non-Hispanic Caucasian, 7.5% African-American, 10.0% Hispanic and 5.9% other races. Perceived harm measures included (1) harmfulness of SHV to one's health, (2) concern about health impact of breathing SHV and (3) comparative harm of SHV versus secondhand smoke (SHS). Predictors were (1) self-reported frequency of exposure to e-cigarette advertising, media coverage and interpersonal discussion (close f...

Health communication, 2011

Most smokers do not utilize approved interventions for nicotine dependence, reducing the probabil... more Most smokers do not utilize approved interventions for nicotine dependence, reducing the probability of cessation. Smoking cessation programs typically use recruitment messages emphasizing the health threats of smoking. Augmenting this threat message by describing the genetic aspects of nicotine addiction may enhance enrollment into a cessation program. During telephone recruitment, 125 treatment-seeking smokers were randomized to receive by phone either a standard threat message or a threat plus genetic prime message and were offered open-label varenicline and counseling. There was a greater rate of enrollment into the cessation program for the threat plus genetic prime participants (51.7%) versus the threat-only participants (37.7%; p = .03). Smokers who self-identified from racial/ethnic minority groups were less likely to enroll in the cessation program (p = .01) versus smokers who self-identified as Caucasian. These preliminary data suggest that a simple, affordable, and transp...

Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, Jan 26, 2014

To examine young adults' knowledge of e-cigarette constituents and regulation and its associa... more To examine young adults' knowledge of e-cigarette constituents and regulation and its association with product use and self-reported exposure to marketing. Young adults (18-34 years, N = 1,247) from a U.S. web panel were surveyed in March 2014. Using multinomial logistic regressions, self-reported exposure to marketing was examined as a predictor of whether participants responded correctly (reference category), incorrectly, or "don't know" to four knowledge items-whether e-cigarettes contain nicotine, contain toxic chemicals, are regulated by government for safety, and are regulated for use as a cessation aid. Analyses adjusted for demographics and smoking status and were weighted to match the U.S. young adult population. Most respondents did not know if e-cigarettes, contain toxic chemicals (48%), are regulated for safety (61%), and are regulated as cessation aids (68%); fewer than 37% answered all of these items correctly. Current users of e-cigarettes (past 30 d...

Journal of Communication, 2013

shaping public support and collective action to reduce health disparities.

Drug Safety, 2009

Encyclopedia of Health Communication, 2014

Health Communication, 2016

Drug and alcohol dependence, 2016

Preventive medicine, Jan 21, 2015

Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2015

Journal of Communication, 2012

Health Communication, 2014

BMJ Open, 2015

Design: Observational study.

Setting: National online sample of US adults aged ≥18 years.

Participants: 1449 US adults (mean age 49.5 years), 51.3% female, 76.6% non-Hispanic Caucasian, 7.5% African-American, 10.0% Hispanic and 5.9% other races.

Conclusions: Exposure to information about e-cigarettes through advertising, media coverage and interpersonal discussion could play a role in shaping public perceptions of the harmfulness of SHV.

BMJ open, 2015

Health communication, 2011

Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, Jan 26, 2014

Background Policies designed to restrict marketing, access to, and public use of electronic ciga... more Background

Policies designed to restrict marketing, access to, and public use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are increasingly under debate in various jurisdictions in the US. Little is known about public perceptions of these policies and factors that predict their support or opposition.

Methods

Using a sample of US adults from Amazon Mechanical Turk in May 2015, this paper identifies beliefs about the benefits and costs of regulating e-cigarettes and identifies which of these beliefs predict support for e-cigarette restricting policies.

Results

A higher proportion of respondents agreed with 8 different reasons to regulate e-cigarettes (48.5% to 83.3% agreement) versus 7 reasons not to regulate e-cigarettes (11.5% to 18.9%). The majority of participants agreed with 7 out of 8 reasons for regulation. When all reasons to regulate or not were included in a final multivariable model, beliefs about protecting people from secondhand vapor and protecting youth from trying e-cigarettes significantly predicted stronger support for e-cigarette restricting policies, whereas concern about government intrusion into individual choices was associated with reduced support.

Discussion

This research identifies key beliefs that may underlie public support or opposition to policies designed to regulate the marketing and use of e-cigarettes. Advocates on both sides of the issue may find this research valuable in developing strategic campaigns related to the issue.

Implications

Specific beliefs of potential benefits and costs of e-cigarette regulation (protecting youth, preventing exposure to secondhand vapor, and government intrusion into individual choices) may be effectively deployed by policy makers or health advocates in communicating with the public.