Social networks have an effect on increasing smoking rates – Mehr News Agency Iran and world’s news

According to Mehr reporter, quoted from medical News, analyzing 29 previously published studies, researchers found that people who viewed social media containing tobacco and tobacco content were more than twice as likely to use tobacco as compared to those who had never viewed it. do

People exposed to this content were even more likely to use tobacco in the future if they had never used tobacco before.

This study included survey analysis of more than 139,000 participants in various studies.

“We created an extensive network of tobacco-related content and social media and examined the relationship between social media exposure and tobacco use,” said lead researcher Scott Donaldson of the University of Southern California.

“What we found is that these networks are robust and have public health implications at the population level,” Donaldson added.

“The rise of social media has given tobacco companies new ways to promote their products, especially to teenagers and young adults,” Donaldson explained.

According to him: “We observed that despite these advertisements, people who had never used tobacco before were more prone to use it. “This suggests that exposure to tobacco-related content can stimulate interest and potentially lead non-smokers to use tobacco.”

The study included people from across the United States, India, Australia and Indonesia. People between the ages of 10 and 19 made up 72% of participants, while young adults and older adults made up 15% and 13%, respectively.