Perceptions of Scientific Recommendations Mediate the Effects of Message Valence on Adult Smokers' Intention to Use E-Cigarettes to Quit: A Conditional Process Analysis.

Abstract

Although electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been widely used by smokers as a quitting device, the explanatory mechanisms and boundary conditions in which message characteristics influence their intention to use e-cigarettes as cessation devices remain unclear. To fill this gap, the current between-subjects experiment investigated how the valence of the messages (pro-e-cigarette, anti-e-cigarette, conflicting recommendations) current smokers are exposed to influence their intention to use e-cigarettes for smoking cessation through perceived approval of using e-cigarettes among health authorities (i.e., perceptions of scientific recommendations). Participants included 249 current smokers recruited through MTurk. Our findings identified perceptions of scientific recommendations of using e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation device mediated the relationship between message valence and smokers' intention to quit with e-cigarettes. Further, the indirect relationship is conditioned by smokers' levels of education, sex, and race/ethnicity. The findings contribute to the literature on tobacco regulatory science by illuminating heterogeneity in message effects across diverse populations and providing important guidance for science-based campaign designs and interventions.