Vast amounts of free, real-time, localizable Twitter data offer new possibilities for public health workers to identify trends and attitudes that more traditional surveillance methods may not capture, particu- larly in emerging areas of public health concern where reliable sta- tistical evidence is not readily accessible. Existing applications include tracking public informedness during disease outbreaks. Twitter-based surveillance is particularly suited to new challenges in tobacco control. Hookah and e-cigarettes have surged in popular- ity, yet regulation and public information remain sparse, despite con- troversial health effects. Ubiquitous online marketing of these products and their popularity among new and younger users make Twitter a key resource for tobacco surveillance.
Objective
We present results of a content analysis of tobacco-related Twitter posts (tweets), focusing on tweets referencing e-cigarettes and hookah.