Social Media Influence on Tobacco Policy Support: The Role of Cancer Worry and Smoking Status in a Moderated Mediation Framework.

We employed a moderated mediation framework and analyzed the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 5, Cycle 4; N = 2,671) data, a nationally representative sample collected from the United States.

While nonsmokers showed higher baseline support, smokers exhibited steeper increases in policy backing as cancer worry intensified.

Results aligned with the stimulus-organism-response (stimulus-organism-response) model, suggesting targeted social media messaging could enhance tobacco policy advocacy, particularly for smokers with familial cancer risks.