BACKGROUND Prior research has not examined whether tobacco brand websites vary content based on audience demographics. This study explored whether marketing content on tobacco brand websites varied by user ethnicity, gender or age group. METHODS Participants (n = 32) were adult smokers, representing equal numbers of eight demographic groups: user ethnicity (Non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, African American, Asian), gender (women, men) and age (age 21-35, age 36+). This study examined 12 tobacco brand websites representing four tobacco product categories (cigarettes, cigar/cigarillos, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes). From January 2016 to January 2017, participants coded websites for themes, interactive activities, and links to social media sites (n = 874 website visits). Logistic regression was used to analyze observed content by participant ethnicity, age and gender. RESULTS All themes, all interactive activities and all links to social media were observed at least once for each demographic category. Male participants were more likely to observe Harm reduction themes, while female participants were more likely to observe Promotion themes. Older participants were more likely to observe website features allowing them to select music, and request coupons. Compared to Non-Hispanic White participants, African American participants were more likely to observe links to social media sites. CONCLUSION Tobacco brand website content varied across ethnic, age and gender groups. These findings suggest that other factors, such as tobacco use behaviors, may influence marketing strategies participants recall or find appealing. The findings from this study can inform future regulatory activities and communication strategies aimed at countering pro-tobacco content online.

中文翻译：

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烟草业网站是否将内容定位到特定的人群？

背景技术先前的研究尚未检查烟草品牌网站是否基于受众人口统计来改变内容。这项研究探讨了烟草品牌网站上的营销内容是否因用户种族，性别或年龄组而异。方法参与者（n = 32）是成年吸烟者，代表八个人口群体的相等数目：使用者种族（非西班牙裔白人，西班牙裔，非裔美国人，亚洲人），性别（女性，男性）和年龄（21-35岁，年龄） 36岁以上）。这项研究调查了代表四个烟草产品类别（香烟，雪茄/小雪茄，无烟烟草和电子烟）的12个烟草品牌网站。从2016年1月到2017年1月，参与者编码了主题，互动活动和社交媒体网站链接的网站（n = 874个网站访问）。使用逻辑回归分析按参加者的种族，年龄和性别分析观察到的内容。结果对于每个人口类别，所有主题，所有互动活动以及与社交媒体的所有链接均至少观察一次。男性参与者更有可能观察减少危害的主题，而女性参与者则更有可能观察促进主题。年龄较大的参与者更有可能观察网站功能，从而允许他们选择音乐和索取优惠券。与非西班牙裔白人参与者相比，非裔美国人参与者更有可能观察到社交媒体网站的链接。结论烟草品牌网站的内容因种族，年龄和性别而异。这些发现表明，其他因素，例如烟草使用行为，可能会影响参与者回忆或发现吸引力的营销策略。