Youth Prevention

Research

Smoking motives in movies are important for understanding adolescent smoking: A preliminary investigation
A new study published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research shows that the way smoking is portrayed in movies can affect adolescents’ desire to smoke. Researchers asked 77 middle school students to view movie clips that showed smoking in a variety of ways, and then rate their desire to smoke after viewing each one. Movie clips where smoking appeared to help characters relax elicited a stronger desire to smoke compared to clips where there was no clear motivation for smoking. Desire to smoke was similar after watching clips where the motive for smoking was unclear, where smoking was a way to facilitate social interaction, and where smoking was a way to rebel. These results offer more information about what aspects of movies moderate the association between exposure to smoking in movies and desire to smoke among adolescents. Click here to read the study abstract.

Defining "smoker": College student attitudes and related smoking characteristics
According to new research, college students’ perceptions of what defines a person as a smoker impact their beliefs on the need to quit smoking and motivation to do so. Researchers conducted twelve focus groups including 73 college students in order to determine how students defined a “smoker” and how that affects quitting behaviors. They found that college students use a variety of factors to define a smoker: smoking frequency, context (social smoking versus smoking alone), time since smoking initiation, purchasing habits (purchases own cigarettes versus borrows from others), ability to quit when desired, whether smoking is habitual, and personality or physical characteristics. These perceptions of what makes someone a smoker influenced motivation to quit and perceived barriers to quitting; many of the smokers indicated that they would easily be able to quit, but did not need to do so, since they did not meet their own definition of “smoker.” Click here to read the study abstract, published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

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Reports

Tobacco use among middle and high school students - United States, 2000-2009
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released a report describing tobacco use among American youth from 2000 to 2009. Researchers analyzed data from 22,679 youth who participated in the 2000-2009 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), a school-based survey in which information is collected from sixth through twelfth graders on tobacco use and related behaviors and attitudes. The results show that use of tobacco and cigarettes has dropped from 2000 to 2009 among middle school students, from 15.1% to 8.2% for any tobacco use and from 11.0% to 5.2% for cigarette use. The same downward trend was seen among high school students. Despite the overall decline from 2000-2009, there was no significant change in tobacco use or cigarette use prevalence among either age group from 2006 to 2009. The CDC recommends that comprehensive tobacco control programs be fully funded and implemented, and new FDA regulations be enforced in order to accelerate the decline in tobacco use among youth. Click here to read the full report in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), or read a press release from The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids calling for an increase in tobacco prevention and cessation programs based on the survey results.

Summertime treats from the truth® youth smoking prevention campaign
Two new television spots, an online game and integrations with media and online partners are some of the latest initiatives from truth®, the nation’s largest smoking prevention campaign for youth. truth has restarted its “Shards O’Glass” anti-tobacco campaign to discourage teens from using tobacco products. The campaign uses a fake company called Shards O’Glass that markets dangerous products (such as popsicles embedded with broken glass) to draw a comparison to the products and marketing tactics used by tobacco companies. The original commercial aired in 2004, and has been continuously well-received by adolescents, prompting truth to revive the campaign using social media outlets that were not as readily available six years ago, such as Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube. Online games, advertisements, and information are available through truth’s website; the original commercial and one new commercial have already begun to air and an additional new advertisement will begin running in September. Click here to read a news release on the campaign from Legacy. Click here for more details, or view the Shards O’Glass website.

truth® continues its 11th annual tour this fall
Youth smoking prevention campaign truth® has announced that it will continue touring the U.S. this fall, appearing at several youth-oriented music and sporting events like the AST Dew Tour, Honda Civic Tour, and Tony Hawk Tour. At these tour stops, young adult crew members have peer-to-peer interactions with youth attending the events through games, contests, and giveaways, creating an engaging atmosphere that allows crew members to discuss tobacco issues more effectively with the youth. truth’s mission is to educate adolescents about the negative health effects, addictive qualities, and social consequences of tobacco use. Click here to read more about the tour or visit the truth tour’s website.

Florida students develop tobacco cessation, prevention PSAs (FL)
Students in the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions’ summer 2010 Health Communication class took a creative approach to tobacco prevention and cessation by developing a series of public service announcements on cigarettes, hookah, and chew tobacco aimed at young adults. The PSAs were sponsored by the University’s Area Health Education Centers (AHEC). To view the videos, visit the University of Florida AHEC’s YouTube channel.

Survey: Youth smoking rates drop (WI)
A recent survey shows that fewer Wisconsin middle and high school students are smoking in 2010 than in 2008. The biannual Wisconsin Youth Tobacco Survey gathered data from students in 43 high schools and 45 middle schools to investigate trends in tobacco use. The 2010 data showed that the prevalence of smoking fell from 20.7% to 17.7% among high school students and from 4.3% to 3.9% among middle school students since the last survey was conducted in 2008. Health officials credit increases in state cigarette taxes and educational efforts by the state Tobacco Prevention and Control Program for the drop. A majority of students (68% of high school students and 54% of middle school students) reported seeing or hearing anti-smoking media in the month prior to the survey. Click here to read more, or read the press release from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

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International

Adolescents' perceptions of tobacco control measures in the United Kingdom (United Kingdom)
Researchers have found that Scottish adolescents believe that tobacco control measures such as anti-smoking advertisements, smokefree legislation, and regulating access to tobacco are generally successful ways of reducing smoking. Twelve focus groups made up of smokers and nonsmokers aged 11-16 were asked to discuss a variety of anti-smoking efforts in terms of what they believed was appropriate and effective and what was not. While youth generally found smokefree legislation to be a valuable way to reduce smoking, some thought that smokers would smoke more in places not affected by bans (e.g. the home), although others with parents that smoke reported this was not the case. Restricting tobacco sales to minors was also seen as useful; however, several smokers suggested that they could circumvent such laws by asking others to purchase tobacco for them. The participants also reported that text-only package warnings did not discourage smoking, and that point-of-sale advertising tended to attract them to tobacco. Youth perceptions of what actions encourage or discourage tobacco use can be used to develop tobacco control policies going forward. Read the study abstract, published in the journal Health Promotion Practice.

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