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1 – 10 of 518In Chapter 3, the author will problematise the youth smoking epidemic within SEA, in order to justify why the regional impacts of the tobacco trade on youths are worrisome. The…
Abstract
In Chapter 3, the author will problematise the youth smoking epidemic within SEA, in order to justify why the regional impacts of the tobacco trade on youths are worrisome. The author will present the major youth smoking trends in SEA, for the purpose of illustrating how the presence of tobacco products has adversely affected regional youths to a concerning degree. The author, next, will highlight the causes of the youth smoking epidemic, namely susceptibility and positive advertising. The author follows by emphasising the national and regional costs of youth smoking, by arguing how such a lifestyle results in negative consequences in relation to the delinquency itself. Lastly, the author will recommend policies for tobacco control that SEA governments should consider to contain the epidemic of youth smoking. It is noteworthy that all SEA governments have some degree of tobacco control policies in place. However, many lack the implementation of comprehensive national tobacco control strategic plans and tightened law enforcement endeavours to specifically target the problem of youth smoking. Therefore, the outputs of this chapter should contain scholarly values that are conducive to the betterment of policy-making.
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Pinar Kocabey Ciftci and Zeynep Didem Unutmaz Durmusoglu
This article proposes a novel hybrid simulation model for understanding the complex tobacco use behavior.
Abstract
Purpose
This article proposes a novel hybrid simulation model for understanding the complex tobacco use behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
The model is developed by embedding the concept of the multistage learning-based fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) into the agent-based model (ABM) in order to benefit from advantageous of each methodology. The ABM is used to represent individual level behaviors while the FCM is used as a decision support mechanism for individuals. In this study, socio-demographic characteristics of individuals, tobacco control policies, and social network effect are taken into account to reflect the current tobacco use system of Turkey. The effects of plain package and COVID-19 on tobacco use behaviors of individuals are also searched under different scenarios.
Findings
The findings indicate that the proposed model provides promising results for representing the mental models of agents. Besides, the scenario analyses help to observe the possible reactions of people to new conditions according to characteristics.
Originality/value
The proposed method combined ABM and FCM with a multi-stage learning phases for modeling a complex and dynamic social problem as close as real life. It is expected to contribute for both ABM and tobacco use literature.
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Mai-Huong Vo, Ngoc-Anh Nguyen, Estelle Dauchy and Nuong Nguyen
This study aims to estimate the pass-through rate of the increases in the excise tax and TCF tax on tobacco in Vietnam. This study seeks to shed light on how the tax burden is…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to estimate the pass-through rate of the increases in the excise tax and TCF tax on tobacco in Vietnam. This study seeks to shed light on how the tax burden is split between consumers and producers and inform policy discussions in the country. Using panel micro-level data collected from three waves of a nationwide retailer's survey, this study provides an evidence-based pass-through estimation for tobacco tax in Vietnam and contributes to the understanding of tax policy on smoking and smoking-related issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Following increases in the excise tax and TCF tax on tobacco in 2019, the differential effect of the tax hike on the “treatment group” (domestic cigarettes) versus the “control group” (illicit cigarettes) using a difference-in-difference (DID) analysis has been studied. The study utilized unique longitudinal retailers’ data on cigarettes prices in Vietnam from 2018 to 2019 to estimate the tax pass-through rate for some of the most popular factory-made cigarette brands.
Findings
This study found evidence of an over-shifting of cigarette taxes on smokers. Specifically, it discovered that the tax increase is absorbed more by low-priced brand smokers compared to premium brand users due to (1) the limited increase in prices under a pure ad valorem system and (2) the way the Vietnamese currency is denominated. Additionally, there is evidence of cushioning to mitigate price shock on consumers as the real prices increase gradually over the period of one year after the tax change.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to collect and analyze a unique panel micro-level data from three waves of a nationwide retailers’ survey, which captures the changes in marketing and pricing strategies of the tobacco industry in Vietnam before and after an increase in excise tax in 2019. The results of this study could be used as a reference for future policymakers in considering increasing taxes on tobacco.
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Stefano Marzioni, Alessandro Pandimiglio and Marco Spallone
This article provides evidence of a long-term structural relationship between demand for heated tobacco products (HTPs) and for combustible cigarettes in a Marshallian demand…
Abstract
Purpose
This article provides evidence of a long-term structural relationship between demand for heated tobacco products (HTPs) and for combustible cigarettes in a Marshallian demand framework, using data from the Italian market.
Design/methodology/approach
A cointegration-based approach allows to capture the substitution effects between the two products arising for reasons (possibly) other than price.
Findings
The authors find that such a relationship exists and is sufficiently strong to constitute a cointegration.
Social implications
Since a fully consolidated consensus on reduced harm from smokeless tobacco products is absent, symmetric policies on both markets are therefore necessary in terms of regulation and excise incidence to minimize the social cost of substitution and to maximize government revenues, which are a necessary counterpart to negative externalities that arise with smoking both products.
Originality/value
This paper focuses on the Italian market with product specific volume and price data, both for cigarettes and HTPs. Because of the detected relationship, a regulatory trade-off arises in case of a relatively mild regulation on heated-tobacco products: benefits from decreasing demand for combustible cigarettes may be offset by the social cost of increasing consumption of heated tobacco products. Moreover, a milder regulation makes price related policies to curb smoking less effective.
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Muhammad Abid Saleem, Amar Shafiq, Hanan Afzal, Aisha Khalid and Ninh Nguyen
The purpose of this study is to identify which social and psychological factors better determine intentions to quit smoking to inform public health policy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify which social and psychological factors better determine intentions to quit smoking to inform public health policy.
Design/methodology/approach
Data for this cross-sectional study were collected via face-to-face interaction following the pen-and-paper method. A total of 371 usable responses were received from randomly selected respondents of eight public sector universities located in the South Punjab province of Pakistan. Partial least squares structural equation modeling analysis was performed using SmartPLS program. A supplementary qualitative study, based on 21 in-depth interviews with the smokers, was conducted to augment findings of the quantitative study.
Findings
Results showed that protection motivation theory and theory of planned behaviour are supported to predict intentions to quit smoking. Subjective norms have a greater influence on intentions to quit smoking than attitudes towards smoking cessation, while perceived behavioural control fails to predict intentions to quit smoking. Perceived rewards and perceived cost are significant in predicting attitudes towards smoking cessation, while extrinsic rewards predict intentions to quit smoking.
Originality/value
The existing models reported in the literature have sparsely investigated the cognitive (such as motivation and emotions) and social factors (such as social influence and behavioural controls) together as determinants of intentions to quit smoking, leaving room for more studies on an integrated model of these factors. This study takes the opportunity and proposes an integrated model encompassing psycho-social factors to predict tobacco consumption quitting behaviour in an emerging economy context.
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Existing literature argues that the expression of delinquency is common during childhood and especially adolescence. Here, the practice of delinquent behaviours increases the risk…
Abstract
Existing literature argues that the expression of delinquency is common during childhood and especially adolescence. Here, the practice of delinquent behaviours increases the risk of disrupting one’s trajectories of educational and labour market attainment. Delinquent youths, particularly those behaving delinquently severely, are prone to be undereducated, under- or unemployed, earning less, enjoying fewer employment welfare benefits and entitled to fewer job promotion opportunities. Given their sociological background, the author is interested in understanding how juvenile delinquency is socially constructed and reproduced. There are a variety of major key risk factors of the social construction of juvenile delinquency, including familial, or parental in particular, issues, the experience of any form of violence, the act of imitation, and psychological and emotional distress. In this book, the author will examine the socioeconomic, sociocultural and psychosocial factors that lead to the entrenched problems of youth delinquency. Per the United Nations, youth is defined as individuals aged from 15 to 24 years old. There are ample practical problems in adopting a legal definition to understand delinquency, because, for example, what is regarded as legal or not is often poorly defined and rather subjective. Also, legal definitions vary over time, barring a clear, standardised understanding of the word ‘delinquency’. In scholarly discourse, juvenile delinquency covers a multitude of sins, such as robbery, vandalism, violence, drug or alternative psychoactive substance use and the performance of some kinds of heterosexual or homosexual acts. While youth is widely interpreted as comprising individuals aged 24 years or below, the upper age limit for juvenile delinquency adopted by the English and American laws is much lower – under the age of 18 years. Given such contexts, in this book, the author primarily addresses youth/juvenile delinquent behaviours as relevant acts performed by individuals aged below 18 years. However, occasionally, the author presents survey data indicating youths’ expression of delinquency among respondents aged 24 years or below.
In this book, the author will provide reasoning on how Southeast Asian (SEA) governments, individually and collectively, have not taken an adequately aggressive, strict approach to regulating their policies against youth delinquency, prompting adolescents’ involvement in delinquent behaviours to be growing rampantly. The lack of appropriate legislative and law enforcement efforts results in significant individual and societal costs, jeopardising SEA’s pursuit of sustainable futures. Therefore, it is necessary to develop this book in order to analyse the causes and consequences of a variety of youth delinquent behaviours and its associated unequal power of relations, alongside expanding the insights of sociological inquiry into a current, ongoing phenomenon of inequalities. Policy recommendations are presented at the end of Chapters 3–5, allowing local policy-makers to evaluate the current policy development and seek possible policy amendments to efficiently and effectively cope with the notable, entrenched and multifaceted problems of youth delinquency. Outputs of this book, additionally, enable (under-)graduate students and relevant scholars and specialists focusing on SEA studies to understand the causes, effects, costs, and policy development and gaps with respect to the youth smoking epidemic, the youth drinking epidemic and youth delinquency of sexual misconduct.
One of the key highlights of this book is that the outputs suggest ways to attain more sustainable, equitable, liveable and inclusive futures in SEA other than the assessments of youth delinquency per se. In doing so, the author hopes to contribute scholarly to the understanding of how regional economic competitiveness, social cohesion and habitability can be sharpened when youth delinquency is addressed thoroughly and aptly. Moreover, when the author addresses youth delinquency, they identify how digitalisation and informationisation diversify the means for the SEA youths to gain access to tobacco products, alcohol goods, commercial sex clients and casual sex partners. Recommended policies in response to youth delinquency regionally, in part, target tightening the imposition of e-regulations by SEA governments to narrow any regulatory loopholes that relevant parties can instrumentalise on to earn lucrative profits at the expense of raising the rates of youth delinquency. In-depth analyses of both conventional and digitalised youth delinquency add further value to this book to readers’ understanding of the corresponding timely issues and recommended policy-making.
The author will, therefore, primarily explores the contexts of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Here Thailand and Malaysia are, currently, the only two regional upper-middle-income countries that share the same prospect of becoming high-income countries in the future. Indonesia, alternatively, has overtaken the Philippines as the biggest economic market and political powerhouse within the region. Therefore, compared to their less or least developed neighbouring counterparts, these countries are more prepared to develop sustainable, habitable and equitable futures while maintaining their Asian and global standings by raising economic and social competitiveness. Indonesia and Malaysia are among the two largest Muslim-majority countries in the globe. In the next chapters, the author will theorise how religious conformity deters local youths from expressing delinquency. Per Islamic laws, smoking, drinking and premature sex are prohibited. It will be interesting to explore whether religious deterrence helps prevent Indonesian and Malaysian youths from expressing delinquency. If not, the author will investigate what factors prompt local youths to behave delinquently, despite religious deterrence. Although these three countries are prioritised in the sociological discussion, the author will present some arguments and data with respect to the contexts of other SEA countries, such as the Philippines and Vietnam, to support their evaluation of youth delinquency regionwide.
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Stephanie E. Perrett, Christie Craddock, Gareth Dunseath, Giri Shankar, Stephen Luzio and Benjamin J. Gray
Smoking rates are known to be higher amongst those committed to prison than the general population. Those in prison suffer from high rates of comorbidities that are likely to…
Abstract
Purpose
Smoking rates are known to be higher amongst those committed to prison than the general population. Those in prison suffer from high rates of comorbidities that are likely to increase their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), making it more difficult to manage. In 2016, a tobacco ban began to be implemented across prisons in England and Wales, UK. This study aims to measure the effect of the tobacco ban on predicted cardiovascular risk for those quitting smoking on admission to prison.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data from a prevalence study of CVD in prisons, the authors have assessed the effect of the tobacco ban on cardiovascular risk, using predicted age to CVD event, ten-year CVD risk and heart age, for those who previously smoked and gave up on admission to prison.
Findings
The results demonstrate measurable health gains across all age groups with the greatest gains found in those aged 50 years and older and who had been heavy smokers. Quitting smoking on admission to prison led to a reduced heart age of between two and seven years for all participants.
Originality/value
The data supports tobacco bans in prisons as a public health measure to reduce risk of CVD. Interventions are needed to encourage maintenance of smoking cessation on release from prison for the full health benefits to be realised.
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Mohamed Bilal Basha, Fazli Wahid and Gail Hafidh
This paper aims to investigate the attraction of cannabis-infused soft drinks beverages among young Canadian consumers in the wake of a rise in multimodal cannabis consumption. It…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the attraction of cannabis-infused soft drinks beverages among young Canadian consumers in the wake of a rise in multimodal cannabis consumption. It is an area of accelerated growth potential, with little research data currently available, and findings would inform stakeholders in the soft drinks market. The research participants were all university students in Ontario province, Canada.
Design/methodology/approach
Random convenience sampling data collection techniques were used to gather data from the Ontario-based participants. Reliability, factors loading and multiple regression analysis were administered to understand the impact of factors towards positive attitude.
Findings
The results reveal that price, impulsive personality, social insecurity and social norms all have a positive influence towards positive attitude. However, energy, taste and past experience failed to show any relationship with positive attitude. The results suggest that the individual consumer’s personality and social context have greater influence than price, a useful insight into the market trends for stakeholders within the industry.
Research limitations/implications
The use of convenience sampling, due to the potentially sensitivity nature of the area of study, hinders the use of a sampling frame.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to examine positive attitude with respect to cannabis-infused soft drinks among young consumers in Canada. It is of particular interest to stakeholders in the production and marketing sectors of the global beverage industry, and its findings will help inform this fledgling wing of that industry on how to move forward through the unknown territory with regard to consumer motivations.
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Rakesh Kumar, Shailesh Kumar Kaushal and Kishore Kumar
This paper aims to explore the role of source credibility while purchasing environment-friendly products using Ajzen’s (1991) theory of planned behavior as underpinning model.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the role of source credibility while purchasing environment-friendly products using Ajzen’s (1991) theory of planned behavior as underpinning model.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed theoretical model was empirically tested with the data collected from 334 respondents using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results gave empirical support to the addition of source credibility to the original theory of planned. Moreover, consumer attitude was found mediating the effect of corporations’ credibility on purchase intention. Also, attitude and perceived behavioral control were found as the most important predictors of consumer’s intention to purchase environment-friendly products.
Practical implications
This study provides valuable insights for the marketers engaged in sustainable business practices. Amid, ever-increasing carbon emission, promoting the use of environment-friendly products has become the need of the time. Credibility plays a crucial role while promoting and communicating an organization’s sustainable practices among its stakeholders including consumers. Therefore, the marketer should formulate appropriate marketing communication strategy to communicate the consumer about the green practices and environment-friendly products they produce. The results suggest that corporation’s credibility shapes consumer attitude and influences intention to purchase environment-friendly products. Earning trust of the consumer is pivotal to achieve success in the market. Therefore, results may help the marketers to better understand consumer’s response toward their marketing strategies and further convince and persuade them to buy their products.
Social implications
The findings of this study may be useful for marketers, strategists, policymakers and government while formulating promotional strategies to make consumer aware, educate and persuade them to purchase products which do not cause harm to the environment.
Originality/value
The study is novel in terms of exploring role of source credibility and extending theory of planned behavior in the context of sustainable consumption.
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