Using Smart Machines to Understand How People Talk About Anti-E-Cigarette Campaigns on Social Media
Official title: Using Innovative Machine Learning to Detect Organized Support and Opposition to E-cigarette Use Prevention Campaign Messaging on Twitter and TikTok
Funded at National Opinion Research Center · NIH-11367442 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are testing new computer methods to see how people on Twitter and TikTok react to anti-vaping messages and the voices that oppose them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | National Opinion Research Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $790,615 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA283038-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11367442 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are general social media users, especially teens and young adults who may be exposed to anti-vaping messages online.
✕Less likely to help
Some users may not be exposed to or influenced by the campaigns studied, limiting direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project uses advanced computer techniques to analyze social media conversations about anti-vaping campaigns. It will look at how people engage with prevention messages and with opponents’ arguments, identifying patterns in attention, attitudes, and behavior. The study aims to understand how messaging could influence youth vaping prevention in a crowded online environment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could help design more effective anti-vaping campaigns that reach teens and prevent youth e-cigarette use.
How similar studies have gone: Related work shows online messaging can shape attitudes, but applying this to anti-vaping campaigns in a cluttered media space is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
National Opinion Research Center
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Feng, Miao — National Opinion Research Center
- Study coordinator: Feng, Miao
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.