The association of normative perceptions with adolescent smoking intentions

• Published in: Journal of adolescence (London, England.) Vol. 33; no. 5; pp. 603 - 614
• Main Authors: Brown, Abraham Kojo, Moodie, Crawford, Hastings, Gerard, Mackintosh, Anne-Marie, Hassan, Louise, Thrasher, James
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2010; Elsevier; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adolescent; Adolescent smokers; Adolescents; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Developmental psychology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Surveys; Humans; Intention; Male; Medical sciences; Never smokers; Norms; Pediatrics; Perceptions; Population Growth; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk; Siblings; Smoking; Smoking - adverse effects; Smoking - epidemiology; Smoking - psychology; Smoking intentions; Social Conformity; Social norms; Social Perception; Social Policy; Social Values; Stimuli; Teenagers; Tobacco Industry; Tobacco smoking; United Kingdom; Youth; Never smokers; Smoking intentions; Adolescent smokers; Social norms; Human; Social norm; Structural equation modeling; Smoker; Adolescent; Tobacco smoking; Intention
• ISSN: 0140-1971; 1095-9254
• DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2009.12.003

Abstract The social norms approach suggests that tobacco use among a referent population will reduce provided they are presented with accurate information about the perceived norms of that behaviour. This study investigated adolescents' perceived tobacco-related norms on future smoking intentions, using a sample of 11–16 year olds ( n  = 804) from wave two of the Youth Tobacco Policy Survey. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse, simultaneously, the hypothesized normative model on future smoking intentions among both adolescent smokers and never smokers. While among adolescent smokers perceived prevalence, perceptions of the tobacco industry and risk from smoking were associated with future smoking intentions, among never smokers only perceived sibling approval was associated with future smoking intentions. The research highlights the need for more comprehensive anti-tobacco related campaigns that incorporate messages and stimuli relevant to behaviour reflecting these normative types.