Cannabis Use During Pregnancy: Insights from Online Discourse and Socioeconomic Indicators Across the USA and Canada

Lisette Espín-Noboa; Nikou Farsiu; Márton Karsai; Daniel J. Corsi

doi:10.1609/icwsm.v19i1.35828

Cannabis Use During Pregnancy: Insights from Online Discourse and Socioeconomic Indicators Across the USA and Canada

Lisette Espín-Noboa
, Nikou Farsiu
, Márton Karsai
, Daniel J. Corsi

Department of Network and Data Science

Research output: Contribution to Book/Report types › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

Cannabis use is on the rise, driven by relaxing legal regulations and declining perceptions of harm. This trend, coupled with the increasing reliance on social media for health-related information, has sparked interest in cannabis use during pregnancy (CanPreg). This study examines online discourse about CanPreg on Twitter, analyzing 53,183 unique tweets from 32,744 users in the USA and Canada between 2012 and 2021. We investigate the spatio-temporal distribution of CanPreg discussions, key topical contexts within these conversations, and their correlations with socioeconomic and health indicators. The analysis reveals regional differences, with a relatively higher interest in CanPreg discussions in Canada compared to the USA. The online discourse is primarily focused on research, alongside criticism, personal experiences, queries, news sharing, and advertisements. Additionally, correlations between CanPreg tweet activity, poverty rates, and mental health metrics suggest a connection between online discussions and real-world behaviors. This study highlights the role of social media in health communication and provides insights to inform targeted intervention strategies.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of the Nineteenth International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media
Editors	Jisun An, Yu-Ru Lin, Yelena Mejova, Eni Mustafaraj, Juhi Kulshrestha, Ingmar Weber
Place of Publication	Washington, DC
Publisher	AAAI Press
Pages	497-521
Number of pages	25
Volume	19
ISBN (Electronic)	13 978-1-57735-900-5
ISBN (Print)	10 1-57735-900-3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v19i1.35828
State	Published - 7 Jun 2025
Event	International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media - Gammeltoftsgade 13, 1355 København, Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark Duration: 23 Jun 2025 → 26 Jun 2025 https://www.icwsm.org/2025/

Conference

Conference	International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media
Abbreviated title	ICWSM2025
Country/Territory	Denmark
City	Copenhagen
Period	23/06/25 → 26/06/25
Internet address	https://www.icwsm.org/2025/

Keywords

Cannabis use
CanPreg
Pregnancy

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1609/icwsm.v19i1.35828

CanPreg datasets
Espin-Noboa, L. (Creator), Farsiu, N. (Creator), Corsi, D. J. (Creator) & Karsai, M. (Creator), OSF, 14 Jan 2025
DOI: 10.17605/osf.io/p5d9y
Dataset

Cite this

Espín-Noboa, L., Farsiu, N., Karsai, M., & Corsi, D. J. (2025). Cannabis Use During Pregnancy: Insights from Online Discourse and Socioeconomic Indicators Across the USA and Canada. In J. An, Y.-R. Lin, Y. Mejova, E. Mustafaraj, J. Kulshrestha, & I. Weber (Eds.), Proceedings of the Nineteenth International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media (Vol. 19, pp. 497-521). AAAI Press. https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v19i1.35828

Espín-Noboa, Lisette ; Farsiu, Nikou ; Karsai, Márton et al. / Cannabis Use During Pregnancy : Insights from Online Discourse and Socioeconomic Indicators Across the USA and Canada. Proceedings of the Nineteenth International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media. editor / Jisun An ; Yu-Ru Lin ; Yelena Mejova ; Eni Mustafaraj ; Juhi Kulshrestha ; Ingmar Weber. Vol. 19 Washington, DC : AAAI Press, 2025. pp. 497-521

@inproceedings{ceb9dfde6cf94bd29f28cd161042ea58,

title = "Cannabis Use During Pregnancy: Insights from Online Discourse and Socioeconomic Indicators Across the USA and Canada",

abstract = "Cannabis use is on the rise, driven by relaxing legal regulations and declining perceptions of harm. This trend, coupled with the increasing reliance on social media for health-related information, has sparked interest in cannabis use during pregnancy (CanPreg). This study examines online discourse about CanPreg on Twitter, analyzing 53,183 unique tweets from 32,744 users in the USA and Canada between 2012 and 2021. We investigate the spatio-temporal distribution of CanPreg discussions, key topical contexts within these conversations, and their correlations with socioeconomic and health indicators. The analysis reveals regional differences, with a relatively higher interest in CanPreg discussions in Canada compared to the USA. The online discourse is primarily focused on research, alongside criticism, personal experiences, queries, news sharing, and advertisements. Additionally, correlations between CanPreg tweet activity, poverty rates, and mental health metrics suggest a connection between online discussions and real-world behaviors. This study highlights the role of social media in health communication and provides insights to inform targeted intervention strategies.",

keywords = "Cannabis use, CanPreg, Pregnancy",

author = "Lisette Esp{\'i}n-Noboa and Nikou Farsiu and M{\'a}rton Karsai and Corsi, \{Daniel J.\}",

year = "2025",

month = jun,

day = "7",

doi = "10.1609/icwsm.v19i1.35828",

language = "English",

isbn = "10 1-57735-900-3",

volume = "19",

pages = "497--521",

editor = "Jisun An and Yu-Ru Lin and Yelena Mejova and Eni Mustafaraj and Juhi Kulshrestha and Ingmar Weber",

booktitle = "Proceedings of the Nineteenth International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media",

publisher = "AAAI Press",

note = "International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media, ICWSM2025 ; Conference date: 23-06-2025 Through 26-06-2025",

url = "https://www.icwsm.org/2025/",

}

Espín-Noboa, L, Farsiu, N, Karsai, M & Corsi, DJ 2025, Cannabis Use During Pregnancy: Insights from Online Discourse and Socioeconomic Indicators Across the USA and Canada. in J An, Y-R Lin, Y Mejova, E Mustafaraj, J Kulshrestha & I Weber (eds), Proceedings of the Nineteenth International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media. vol. 19, AAAI Press, Washington, DC, pp. 497-521, International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media, Copenhagen, Denmark, 23/06/25. https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v19i1.35828

Cannabis Use During Pregnancy: Insights from Online Discourse and Socioeconomic Indicators Across the USA and Canada. / Espín-Noboa, Lisette; Farsiu, Nikou; Karsai, Márton et al.
Proceedings of the Nineteenth International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media. ed. / Jisun An; Yu-Ru Lin; Yelena Mejova; Eni Mustafaraj; Juhi Kulshrestha; Ingmar Weber. Vol. 19 Washington, DC: AAAI Press, 2025. p. 497-521.

Research output: Contribution to Book/Report types › Conference contribution › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - Cannabis Use During Pregnancy

T2 - International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media

AU - Espín-Noboa, Lisette

AU - Farsiu, Nikou

AU - Karsai, Márton

AU - Corsi, Daniel J.

PY - 2025/6/7

Y1 - 2025/6/7

N2 - Cannabis use is on the rise, driven by relaxing legal regulations and declining perceptions of harm. This trend, coupled with the increasing reliance on social media for health-related information, has sparked interest in cannabis use during pregnancy (CanPreg). This study examines online discourse about CanPreg on Twitter, analyzing 53,183 unique tweets from 32,744 users in the USA and Canada between 2012 and 2021. We investigate the spatio-temporal distribution of CanPreg discussions, key topical contexts within these conversations, and their correlations with socioeconomic and health indicators. The analysis reveals regional differences, with a relatively higher interest in CanPreg discussions in Canada compared to the USA. The online discourse is primarily focused on research, alongside criticism, personal experiences, queries, news sharing, and advertisements. Additionally, correlations between CanPreg tweet activity, poverty rates, and mental health metrics suggest a connection between online discussions and real-world behaviors. This study highlights the role of social media in health communication and provides insights to inform targeted intervention strategies.

AB - Cannabis use is on the rise, driven by relaxing legal regulations and declining perceptions of harm. This trend, coupled with the increasing reliance on social media for health-related information, has sparked interest in cannabis use during pregnancy (CanPreg). This study examines online discourse about CanPreg on Twitter, analyzing 53,183 unique tweets from 32,744 users in the USA and Canada between 2012 and 2021. We investigate the spatio-temporal distribution of CanPreg discussions, key topical contexts within these conversations, and their correlations with socioeconomic and health indicators. The analysis reveals regional differences, with a relatively higher interest in CanPreg discussions in Canada compared to the USA. The online discourse is primarily focused on research, alongside criticism, personal experiences, queries, news sharing, and advertisements. Additionally, correlations between CanPreg tweet activity, poverty rates, and mental health metrics suggest a connection between online discussions and real-world behaviors. This study highlights the role of social media in health communication and provides insights to inform targeted intervention strategies.

KW - Cannabis use

KW - CanPreg

KW - Pregnancy

U2 - 10.1609/icwsm.v19i1.35828

DO - 10.1609/icwsm.v19i1.35828

M3 - Conference contribution

SN - 10 1-57735-900-3

VL - 19

SP - 497

EP - 521

BT - Proceedings of the Nineteenth International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media

A2 - An, Jisun

A2 - Lin, Yu-Ru

A2 - Mejova, Yelena

A2 - Mustafaraj, Eni

A2 - Kulshrestha, Juhi

A2 - Weber, Ingmar

PB - AAAI Press

CY - Washington, DC

Y2 - 23 June 2025 through 26 June 2025

ER -

Espín-Noboa L, Farsiu N, Karsai M, Corsi DJ. Cannabis Use During Pregnancy: Insights from Online Discourse and Socioeconomic Indicators Across the USA and Canada. In An J, Lin YR, Mejova Y, Mustafaraj E, Kulshrestha J, Weber I, editors, Proceedings of the Nineteenth International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media. Vol. 19. Washington, DC: AAAI Press. 2025. p. 497-521 doi: 10.1609/icwsm.v19i1.35828

Cannabis Use During Pregnancy: Insights from Online Discourse and Socioeconomic Indicators Across the USA and Canada

Abstract (may include machine translation)

Conference

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Datasets

CanPreg datasets

Cite this