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Communication plays an important role in health decisions and behaviors. Friends and family exert influence through communication and, when considering smoking, this is particularly salient among those friends and family who smoke. Guided by primary socialization theory and integrated behavioral model, the present study examined the effects of having smoking friends and family on smoking beliefs (e.g. negative consequences, positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement), cultural normative beliefs, pro-smoking injunctive norms, smoking intentions and recent smoking behaviors.

Cross-sectional online survey data were collected from college students (N = 227). Multivariate analysis of covariance and path analysis were performed.

College students who reported having smoking friends were more likely to report higher levels of positive reinforcement, cultural normative beliefs, pro-smoking injunctive norms, positive attitudes, smoking intentions and recent smoking behaviors than those without smoking friends. Frequent communication with smoking friends was significantly related to cultural normative beliefs, pro-smoking injunctive norms, positive attitudes and smoking intentions. The analysis, however, did not yield statistical support for the associations between frequent communication with smoking family and smoking perceptions, norms and behaviors.

The present study highlights the vital roles of friends' influence for college students' smoking behaviors. Communication-based intervention can help better equip college students with communication strategies that prevent tobacco use by promoting more effective conversations with friends.

This paper aims to investigate the level of fear experienced by students aged 13 to 30 years, in response to different types of anti‐smoking fear appeals. It seeks to extend and validate Quinn et al.'s study by specifically comparing adolescent and young adult responses to fear appeals.

A total of 548 useable questionnaires were collected via a self‐administered questionnaire based on established scales. Factor analysis, T tests and ANOVA were used to replicate Quinn et al.'s analysis of the data.

The main results are consistent with previous findings that adolescents and non‐smokers experience more fear. Further, general health and factual appeals cause the most fear across all ages but adolescents were more fearful of factual appeals and social ostracism appeals than young adults possibly indicating that factual and social appeals are better targeted at adolescents than young adults. The results were broadly similar to Quinn et al.'s results.

Advertisers often use realistic fear appeals to attract the attention of the intended recipient, to scare the recipient into processing the information, and to get them to act in response to the anti‐smoking message. However, because adolescents and nonsmokers experience more fear, social marketers, governments, schools and parents need to customise fear appeals to suit these recipients.

The current study re‐tests and revalidates the effect of these different appeal types amongst adolescents and young adults. The results will help clarify which type of fear appeal causes more fear amongst adolescents and young adults in Australia, 20 years on from Quinn et al.'s study.

Purpose – This research presents results concerning the impact of family financial stress on adolescent substance use.

Design/methodology/approach – Drawing a sample of 18,614 adolescent males (9,459) and females (9,155) ages 12–17 years from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, this work utilizes stepwise logistic regression and ordinary least squares to determine whether family poverty measures are associated with adolescent high-risk behaviors of smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and using marijuana.

Findings – This study found limited support for adolescent substance use within families who are experiencing economic distress. Adolescents from families who had moved at least once in the prior year were more likely to have used cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana. Furthermore, males and females who disapprove of peers’ substance using behaviors are less likely to use those substances.

Research limitations/implications – This study may not explain adolescent substance using behavior outside of the United States. Further research into socioeconomic factors should be addressed in subsequent work as should the intermediary variables pertaining to the parent–child relationship.

Practical implications – Understanding contributing factors to adolescent substance use will assist in developing social policy that will support families.

Originality/value – This study provides insight into the consequences of family characteristics both socioeconomic and psychosocial which influence adolescent substance using behaviors.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of family and friends on teenage smoking behaviour in Greece, as distinct from tobacco marketing, against the background of relevant literature and previous studies elsewhere.

A total of 100 Greeks between the ages of 16 and 19 were interviewed in coffee shops and fast‐food restaurants, using a questionnaire combining structured questions with opportunities for free discussion during completion. Respondent anonymity was preserved.

The paper is in keeping with intentionally exploratory research objectives. Selected findings are reported and discussed, without full tabulation of all results. With that proviso, the paper concludes that smoking among Greek teenagers is strongly influenced by family and friends: roughly one in ten were offered a cigarette by a relative; two‐thirds came from families containing at least some smokers, with only two with no friends who smoked. Evidence is stronger among smokers in the sample than non‐smokers. A tentative conclusion, therefore, is that experimentation and continuation is an outcome of consumer socialization.

The sample was relatively small and stated intent exploratory. A key feature is the social context in which behaviour was investigated. Further research is needed, to improve the rigour of conclusions, which are nonetheless interestingly indicative.

The paper provides potentially useful insights and directions of further enquiry for marketing planners, advertising strategists, brand managers, market researchers, social marketers and health campaigners, and for academics who work with them.

The paper examines a widely investigated phenomenon in a social environment distinctively different from the European norm, in the smoking context.

This paper aims to examine how influences at home and school interact to predict smoking among adolescents.

Data were collected from 15‐year‐old pupils from Norway (n=1,404 in 73 Grade 10 school classes). Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to determine how family and school influences interact to predict adolescent smoking behaviour.

A total of 14 schools strictly enforced the ban on smoking among pupils, and 60 schools strictly enforced existing restrictions on teachers' smoking. Pupils from all schools were exposed to smoking by both their families and teachers. Although the main effects of school enforcement and family smoking were not associated with adolescent smoking behaviour, a cross‐level interaction term between these variables was significantly associated with school level variation in regular smoking (odds ratio [OR] 5.57, 95 percent confidence interval 1.47‐21.12). Individual rather than school's perception of exposure to teachers' smoking, and parental norms were associated with adolescent smoking behaviour, irrespective of the school's level of enforcement.

The effect of school smoking restrictions seems to be dependent on smoking norms at home. Thus, in addition to school‐based anti‐smoking policies, those directed at parents are needed as well.

The present study used a multilevel statistical approach to study the association between the independent factors and adolescent smoking behaviour, an approach that takes into account the cluster effect in hierarchically structured data. The use of this approach is important in studies that involve data with hierarchies as a means to avoid false conclusions.

Observes that UK smoking prevention programmes have limited success. However, there is evidence that individual differences may mediate the effectiveness of such programmes. In order to measure personality, which is a major source of individual difference, a questionnaire suitable for use with English 11 to 16‐year olds was developed in three distinct phases. First, the words teenagers use to describe their friends were collected in individual interviews. Second, a subset of these terms was tested with a group of young people of various ages and qualitative analyses undertaken. Finally the factor structure of the questionnaire was explored and a 49 statement, self‐report personality instrument was constructed. The personality questionnaire was then used in a two‐wave prospective study of smoking in four English, state secondary schools. Presents the findings from matched data from 2,023 students. The personality questionnaire predicted smoking uptake above and beyond that achieved from knowledge of gender, school year, and family smoking behaviour.

The aim of this paper is to explore the beliefs of 15‐17 year‐old Dutch adolescents about starting or quitting smoking and to explore their preferences regarding education concerning this topic.

The paper shows that a total of 12 group interviews were held with 101 students in the highest classes in secondary school (lower and higher secondary school and first class of intermediate vocational education).

The findings in this paper indicate that most adolescents started smoking to be cool and because they were curious about the taste of a cigarette. Smokers felt that smoking is sociable and relaxing, while non‐smokers emphasized the negative consequences of smoking. Smokers expected to quit smoking when the price of cigarettes further increased, or when they fell ill as a result of smoking. They did not expect to receive social support from their friends and parents during a quit attempt. The hardest times during their quit attempts would be in the presence of smoking friends, when feeling stressed or during a night out. Adolescents preferred to receive future education through the internet. A web site should consist of much colour and animated images, but should also be serious.

The paper shows that computer tailoring could be an effective method of educating adolescents about (quitting) smoking through the internet, since it links up with their personal situation and therefore relevant advice can be given.

This study aims to investigate university students' knowledge about and attitudes toward e-cigarette (EC) use. It will also examine whether students' EC use is associated with knowledge about and attitudes toward EC use. The study also aims to analyze the determinants of students' use of ECs. The effects of gender, smoking behavior and friends' and family members' smoking behaviors on students' use of ECs were analyzed.

Completed questionnaire surveys were received from 1,362 students at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi in Bangkok City, Thailand, in November and December 2019. Chi-square tests and an independent samples t-test were conducted to determine whether students' knowledge about ECs and attitudes toward EC use influenced their use of ECs. A logistic regression analysis was performed to identify significant factors affecting students' use of ECs.

The results revealed that students' EC use was associated with knowledge about ECs: Students with less knowledge about the harmful effects of ECs were more likely to use them. In addition, students who were EC users had more positive attitudes toward EC use than those who were not EC users. The results also revealed that male students, students who had also smoked tobacco cigarettes and students with friends who smoked tobacco cigarettes were more likely to use ECs. These results could suggest strategies to reduce the use of ECs among university students.

This study provides deep understanding about university students' knowledge about and attitudes toward EC use and their participation in EC use. The result clearly shows university students who are participating in EC use still have less knowledge about EC, thus, they have positive attitudes toward ECs. Gaining social acceptance from friends who use EC also influences students' decision to use EC. Therefore, EC use among students could significantly increase overall EC use.

Purpose: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) young adults smoke at rates much higher than the general population. Young adults, in general, are less likely to seek medical help for smoking cessation and LGB individuals are less likely to seek health care generally. Alternative methods to encourage smoking cessation are necessary. This research seeks to establish whether LGB young adults in California would be willing to use social media for smoking cessation.

Approach: We conducted 41 qualitative interviews among LGB young adults in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles in Fall 2014.

Findings: The results suggest that our participants were interested in a LGB-focused social media intervention, as long as the intervention was private or anonymous and moderated. Further, across topical areas our participants spoke extensively about the import of social connections. We may be able to leverage these connections to encourage cessation.

Research Limitations: This is a qualitative, non-generalizable dataset from a fairly limited geographic area.

Public Health Implications: Online smoking cessation interventions aimed at young adults would benefit from further testing with LGB young adults to ensure efficacy among this population. In addition, states and localities concerned about young adult LGB smoking might benefit from investing in an online socially mediated cessation forum. Online interventions could be scalable and might be useful for other groups who regularly face discrimination, stigma, or other stressors that make successful smoking cessation difficult.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of independent vs interdependent self-construal in non-smokers’ responses to an anti-smoking message that focuses on either personal or relational consequences of smoking.

Two web-based experimental studies were conducted among US college non-smokers. In the first study, participants’ self-construal was measured. Then participants were randomly assigned to view an anti-smoking message emphasizing either relational or personal consequences of smoking. Message evaluation, smoking attitudes, and behavioral intentions were assessed after message exposure. The second study followed the same procedure except that participants’ self-construal was manipulated by randomly assigning participants to an independent or interdependent self-construal priming task prior to message exposure.

Both studies showed a noticeable pattern of interaction between message focus and self-construal: non-smokers with a salient interdependent self-construal responded more favorably to an anti-smoking message emphasizing personal (vs relational) consequences of smoking whereas non-smokers with a salient independent self-construal responded more favorably to an anti-smoking message emphasizing relational (vs personal) consequences of smoking. However, the interaction effect was small in the first study.

Findings from this study are original in that they run counter to the general belief that messages matching people’s self-perceptions will be more persuasive. On the other hand, matching health risk messages with people’s dominant self-construal may reduce the messages effectiveness due to defensive processing. As a result, communication practitioners should take a great caution of tailoring threatening smoking prevention messages to target audiences’ self-perceptions.