Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33560242›Full record

ArticleJMIR public health and surveillance2021

Instagram Posts Related to Backwoods Cigarillo Blunts: Content Analysis.

Stephanie Kim, Alia Mourali, Jon-Patrick Allem, Jennifer B Unger, Tess Boley Cruz, Sabrina L Smiley

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR public health and surveillance, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Exploring Social Media Discourse on Cigars: Insights from Twitter/X Data.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Young Adults' Exposure to and Engagement With Tobacco-Related Social Media Content and Subsequent Tobacco Use.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2024
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Stephanie Kim *Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-3894-8214
Alia Mourali *Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-6942-5005
Jon-Patrick Allem *Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-9135-8689
Jennifer B Unger *Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-9064-6603
Tess Boley Cruz *Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-5894-1802
Sabrina L Smiley *Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-3202-7534

Funding

USC Tobacco Center of Regulatory ScienceU54CA180905 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI Jennifer Beth Unger · 2018 to 2026
$39.0M
NCI NIH HHS U54 CA180905
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInstagram, one of the most popular social media platforms among youth, offers a unique opportunity to examine blunts-partially or fully hollowed-out large cigars, little cigars, and cigarillos that are filled with marijuana. Cigarillo brands like Backwoods (Imperial Tobacco Group Brands LLC) have product features that facilitate blunt making, including a variety of brand-specific flavors that enhance the smoking experience (eg, honey, dark stout). Backwoods has an active online presence with a user-friendly website.

objectiveThis study examined the extent to which Backwoods cigarillo-related posts on Instagram showed blunt making. Instagram offers a unique opportunity to examine blunt making as Instagram accounts will contain images reflective of behavior occurring without the prime of a researcher.

methodsData consisted of publicly available Instagram posts with the hashtag #backwoods collected from August 30 to September 12, 2018. Inclusion criteria for this study included an Instagram post with the hashtag "#backwoods". Rules were established to content analyze posts. Categories included Type of post (ie, photo, video, or both); Blunt-related hashtags (ie, the corresponding post caption contained one or more hashtags like #blunts, #cannabis, and #weed that were identified in previous social media research); Rolling blunts (ie, the post contained an image of one or more individuals rolling a Backwoods cigarillo visibly containing marijuana); and Smoking blunts (ie, the post contained an image of one or more individuals blowing smoke or holding a lit blunt). We coded images for Product flavor reference, where a code of 1 showed a Backwoods cigarillo pack with a brand-specific flavor (eg, honey, dark stout, Russian crème) visible in the blunt-related image, and a code of 0 indicated that it was not visible anywhere in the image.

resultsAmong all posts (N=1206), 871 (72.2%) were coded as Blunt-related hashtags. A total of 125 (10.4%) images were coded as Smoking blunts, and 25 (2.1%) were coded as Rolling blunts (ie, Backwoods cigarillo explicitly used to roll blunts). Among blunt images, 434 of 836 (51.9%) were coded as Product flavor (ie, a Backwoods pack with a brand-specific flavor was visible).

conclusionsMost Backwoods cigarillo-related Instagram images were blunt-related, and these blunt-related images showed Backwoods packages indicating flavor preference. Continued monitoring and surveillance of blunt-related posts on Instagram is needed to inform policies and interventions that reduce the risk that youth may experiment with blunts. Specific policies could include restrictions on product features (eg, flavors, perforated lines, attractive resealable foil pouches, sale as singles) that facilitate blunt making.

Indexed as

HumansSocial MediaTobacco ProductsBackwoods cigarillosbluntsInstagramsmoking

Identifiers

PMID33560242
PMCPMC7902186

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.