Massey Zachary B, Li Yachao, Holli Jessica, Churchill Victoria, Yang Bo, Henderson Katherine, Ashley David L, Huang Jidong, Popova Lucy
School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States.
Department of Communication Studies and Department of Public Health, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ, United States.
J Med Internet Res. 2020 Jun 2;22(6):e17104. doi: 10.2196/17104.
As user modification can alter the addictiveness and toxicity of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), more research is needed to understand the types, motivations, risks, and information sources that lead to these product alterations. YouTube has been identified as a major platform where ENDS users obtain and share information about ENDS products and modifications. However, a comprehensive study of ENDS modification videos on YouTube is lacking.
This study aimed to analyze the content of YouTube videos depicting modifications of ENDS.
YouTube was searched in March 2019 to identify videos depicting ENDS modifications. Search terms were derived from interviews with ENDS users and current literature. We used 28 search phrases that combined the words vape and vaping with modification-related key terms (eg, custom build, modification, and dripping). The final sample included 168 videos.
Videos were 1 to 108 min long (median 9.55). Presenters were largely male (117/168, 69.6%), white (94/168, 56.0%), and older than 25 years (94/168, 56.0%). Most videos gave how to instructions (148/168, 88.1%), but few offered warnings (30/168, 17.9%) or mentioned commercial alternatives to modifications they presented (16/168, 9.5%). The ENDS devices most often featured were drippers (63/168, 37.5%) and refillable tanks (37/168, 22.0%). The most often modified ENDS components were coils (82/168, 48.8%) and e-liquids (34/168, 20.2%), which included adding other substances, such as cannabis, to the e-liquids (6/168, 3.6%). Most videos portrayed ENDS modifications positively (106/168, 63.1% positive; 60/168, 35.7% neutral; and 2/168, 1.2% negative) and were either neutral or positive in their overall portrayal of ENDS devices (78/168, 46.4% positive; 89/168, 53.0% neutral; and 1/168, 0.6% negative).
This study identified several concerning trends in popular YouTube videos on ENDS modifications, including lack of warnings, the addition of marijuana derivatives to e-liquids, and the positive portrayal of ENDS devices and modifications. By identifying the types of modifications (coil and e-liquid being the most prevalent), this study sets an agenda for research on the effects of modifications.
由于用户改装会改变电子尼古丁传送系统（ENDS）的成瘾性和毒性，因此需要更多研究来了解导致这些产品改变的类型、动机、风险和信息来源。YouTube已被确定为ENDS用户获取和分享ENDS产品及改装信息的主要平台。然而，目前缺乏对YouTube上ENDS改装视频的全面研究。
本研究旨在分析YouTube上描绘ENDS改装的视频内容。
2019年3月对YouTube进行搜索，以识别描绘ENDS改装的视频。搜索词来源于对ENDS用户的访谈和当前文献。我们使用了28个搜索短语，将“vape”和“vaping”与改装相关的关键词（如定制、改装和滴油）组合在一起。最终样本包括168个视频。
视频时长为1至108分钟（中位数9.55）。视频发布者大多为男性（117/168，69.6%）、白人（94/168，56.0%）且年龄超过25岁（94/168，56.0%）。大多数视频提供操作指南（148/168，88.1%），但很少有视频发出警告（30/168，17.9%）或提及他们展示的改装的商业替代方案（16/168，9.5%）。最常出现的ENDS设备是滴油器（63/168，37.5%）和可再填充储液罐（37/168，22.0%）。最常被改装的ENDS组件是线圈（82/168，48.8%）和电子液体（34/168，20.2%），其中包括向电子液体中添加其他物质，如大麻（6/168，3.6%）。大多数视频对ENDS改装持积极态度（106/168，63.1%为积极；60/168，35.7%为中性；2/168，1.2%为消极），并且在对ENDS设备的整体描绘中要么是中性要么是积极的（78/168，46.4%为积极；89/168，53.0%为中性；1/168，0.6%为消极）。
本研究在热门的YouTube上关于ENDS改装的视频中发现了几个令人担忧的趋势，包括缺乏警告、在电子液体中添加大麻衍生物以及对ENDS设备和改装的积极描绘。通过确定改装的类型（线圈和电子液体最为普遍）本研究为改装效果的研究设定了议程。
