Anguiano B, Brown-Johnson C, Rosas LG, Pechmann C, Prochaska JJ. (2017). Latino adults’ perspectives on treating tobacco use via social media. JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth. 5(2): e12. doi: 10.2196/mhealth.6684
Researchers recruited 32 people who identify as Latino or Latina using Craigslist, referrals by community health workers, and word of mouth to participate in focus groups about mobile phone and social media use, smoking, and cessation treatment preferences. All participants had made at least one 24 hour quit attempt, but very few had reported receiving assistance from a health care provider (n=3) or using nicotine replacement (n=1), and no participants had used cessation medication or psychosocial cessation treatments. One factor that helped participants delay smoking was checking Facebook. Key motivators for quitting smoking were family, life transitions (e.g. pregnancy), and feelings of shame. Participants used many popular social media platforms, but preferred Facebook. Social media was acceptable to participants as a method to deliver smoking cessation interventions. Those opposed to social media smoking cessation groups preferred receiving support from family and friends and did not want to spend more time on their phone. There were mixed perspectives about whether social media groups should be matched and how they should be matched (e.g. race, smoking characteristics, interests). Participants felt that supportive messages posted as a part of social media smoking cessation interventions should be supportive and motivational, but not demanding.