The evolving nature of the nicotine product
marketplace is posing a challenge for researchers as existing research methods are
not able to mimic the real-world marketplace. Hence, existing research methods are inadequate for studying
the impacts of new products or policy on consumers’ behavior. New, innovative
methods need to be developed for conducting nicotine and tobacco policy research. Policy-makers have
an urgent need for new research evidence to help inform regulatory decisions about nicotine and tobacco products.
In this 1-hour seminar, Dr. Warren Bickel, of Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, part of Virginia Tech (USA), will describe a new method, the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace
(ETM). This method is borrowed from the field of behavioral economics, and has shown some
promise as a tool that can be used to forecast how people who smoke, under different
hypothetical scenarios, will respond to new products or policies before they
are implemented. He will provide an overview of ETM, what it is, its core
features, main benefits and limitations, and how it can be used in policy
research, with some examples of ETM research conducted by his team. A brief learning activity and links to relevant journal articles are also included. Drs. Ivana Croghan (SRNT-U Research Methodologies Director) and Hua Yong (SRNT-U Policy Research Director) are featured in the Introduction and Summary portions of this course.
This online seminar, while interesting to
anyone working in addiction research, is particularly relevant for nicotine and
tobacco researchers working in policy research, global health or public health.
The seminar will take a minimum of one hour to complete. In-depth reading of the journal articles linked to may require additional time.
Learning objectives: By completing this
course, the learners will:
- gain a good understanding of ETM, its core features, strengths and weaknesses;
- be able to determine under what conditions ETM should or should not be used;
- be able to apply the knowledge gained to design a study making use of ETM.
SRNT University is grateful to Allison Glasser and Elise Stevens, members of SRNT's Policy Research Network, for developing the quiz for this course.