Do adolescents appreciate the risks of smoking? Evidence from a national survey (original) (raw)

Perceptions of Smoking-Related Risks and Benefits as Predictors of Adolescent Smoking Initiation

American Journal of Public Health, 2009

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States. Tobacco use causes approximately 440 000 deaths annually, which is twice the number of deaths attributed to alcohol, homicide, illicit drug use, and suicide combined. 1 There are more than 60 million daily smokers in the United States. 2 Each year, approximately 1 million additional people become daily cigarette users, 44.2% of whom are younger than 18 years. 2 Every day, more than 4000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years try their first cigarette, and1300 of them go on to become daily smokers. 2 Given these statistics, it is clear that preventing initiation of tobacco use among adolescents is crucial to reducing adult-onset disease and mortality.

Information, risk perceptions, and smoking choices of youth

Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 2011

Conventional wisdom maintains that youths take risks because they underestimate probabilities of harm. Presumably if they knew the true probabilities, they would behave differently. We used the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 to assess whether differences between subjective and objective probabilities that an adverse outcome to self will occur are systematically related to a harmful behavior, initiating smoking. We find that youths are generally pessimistic about probabilities of their own deaths and being violent crime victims. After smoking initiation, youths increase subjective probabilities of death by more than the objective increase in mortality risk, implying recognition of potential harms. Virtually all 12–14 year-olds know that smoking causes heart disease. The minority who believe that smoking causes AIDS are less likely to become smokers; i.e., risk misperceptions deter rather than cause smoking initiation. Messages designed to deter smoking initiation should stress other disadvantages of smoking than just probabilities of harm.

A Prospective Study of Perception in Adolescent Smoking

Journal of Adolescent Health, 2009

Purpose: This prospective study examined how environmental smoking affects the perception of lifetime smoking prevalence and thereby the likelihood of subsequent regular smoking. Methods: A longitudinal design (N ¼ 6769) with three waves was used to test our research questions. Exposure to smoking by peers, best friends, and parents were assessed at T1. Perception of lifetime smoking prevalence was calculated at T2. Adolescent smoking was assessed at three waves. Results: Overestimation of lifetime smoking prevalence was predicted by having a predominantly smoking peer group, having a best friend who smokes, and by having at least one parent who smokes. In consistency with a false consensus effect, smokers were more susceptible to overestimate lifetime smoking prevalence than nonsmokers. Subsequently, while controlling for smoking at T2, overestimating lifetime smoking prevalence was predictive of regular smoking at T3 (in accordance with the conformity hypothesis). Specifically, overestimation of lifetime smoking appeared to mediate the effects of environmental smoking (peers, best friends, and parents) on adolescent smoking. No support was found for a moderation effect of exposure to environmental smoking on the link between misperception of lifetime smoking prevalence and regular smoking. Conclusions: The study offers a rare and needed theoretical and empirical research examining environmental and individual predictors of regular smoking. Besides direct prevention of exposure to smoking, cognitions that are a product of exposure to smoking need to be addressed in prevention campaigns. Ó

Perceived risk of harm from cigarettes or smokeless tobacco among U.S. high school seniors

Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2007

This study examined perceived risk of harm from smoking or ST use in a U.S. nationally representative sample of high school seniors and examined its association with current smoking status. Data were derived from the Monitoring the Future project for 1999 through 2003 (n511,093). We used multiple logistic regression analysis to examine the association between comparative perceived risk of harm of smoking and ST use with current smoking status, while adjusting for sex, race, and perceived risk of harm from smoking. In 1999-2003, 74.0% of high school seniors perceived great risk of harm from smoking and 44.9% perceived great risk from using ST. Perceived risk varied by smoking intensity: 80.3% of non-smokers perceived great risk of harm from smoking, compared to 49.7% of students who smoked about one-half pack per day and 36.1% of pack-a-day smokers. Overall, 52.7% perceived equal risk of harm from using either product, 41.3% perceived greater risk from cigarettes, and 6.1% perceived a greater risk from using ST. Adjusting for sex and race, high school seniors who perceived that smoking conveyed a greater risk for harm than did using smokeless tobacco were significantly more likely to be smokers than were those who perceived equal risk from the products (odds ratio [OR]51.43; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29-1.60). Those who perceived that using smokeless tobacco was riskier than smoking were even more likely to be current smokers (OR52.43; 95% CI 1.96-3.01). Effective methods for communicating accurate health risks to young people are needed.

Risk perception and stages of smoking acquisition

The purpose of this descriptive survey was to investigate the risk perceptions of smoking in a sample of 1,510 Spanish adolescents (49.1% males; mean age = 14.03; SD = 1.28). In addition, the present research categorised adolescents into one of the four stages of smoking acquisition, as described by the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TMC): Precontemplation (not thinking about trying smoking in the next 6 months), Contemplation (thinking about trying smoking in the next 6 months), Preparation (thinking about starting smoking in the next 30 days) and Action (smokers), by gender and age. The results showed that age and risk perceptions are important variables in the progression through the stages of change towards regular tobacco consumption (Action stage). These results clearly demonstrate the importance of starting anti-smoking campaigns at an early age to prevent smoking acquisition or the thought of starting in the near future. These findings also highlight the need to continuously remind adolescents about the negative consequences of smoking.

Risk Perception and Stages of Smoking

2013

Resumen The purpose of this descriptive survey was to investigate the risk perceptions of smoking in a sample of 1,510 Spanish adolescents (49.1% males; mean age = 14.03; SD = 1.28). In addition, the present research categorised adolescents into one of the four stages of smoking acquisition, as described by the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TMC): Precontemplation (not thinking about trying smoking in the next 6 months), Contemplation (thinking about trying smoking in the next 6 months), Preparation (thinking about starting smoking in the next 30 days) and Action (smokers), by gender and age. The results showed that age and risk perceptions are important variables in the progression through the stages of change towards regular tobacco consumption (Action stage). These results clearly demonstrate the importance of starting antismoking campaigns at an early age to prevent smoking acquisition or the thought of starting in the near future. These findings also highlight the need to co...

Adolescents' views on smoking

Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 1980

Despite various forms of dissuasion, smoking is still popular among adolescents. Indeed, although there has been a decline in the prevalence of smoking among adults in the past decade, the incidence of smoking among adolescents has only decreased slightly. To explain this phenomenon, a longitudinal survey of the smoking behaviour and related attitudes of a cohort of Derbyshire schoolchildren was conducted between 1974 and 1978. Comparison of their questionnaire replies in 1974 and 1976 showed that those adolescents who smoked underestimated the health hazards of smoking, considered smoking pleasurable, and reported strong peer pressure to continue smoking. However, among girls some of these characteristics were less apparent, suggesting that girls are more concerned about their health, and are less expected to smoke at this age. Also, older children were more aware of the health hazards of smoking and reported less peer pressure to smoke, but considered it more pleasurable.

A qualitative exploration of young adult smokers’ responses to novel tobacco warnings

BMC Public Health, 2013

Background: Despite reduced smoking among adolescents, smoking prevalence peaks among young adults aged 18-30, many of whom believe themselves exempt from the health risks of smoking shown in warning labels. We explored how young adult smokers perceived warnings featuring proximal risks, and whether these encouraged cessation more effectively than traditional health messages. Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews with 17 young adult smokers and explored their perceptions of current warnings as well as novel warnings representing short-term health consequences; immediate social risks, and tobacco's toxicity (denormalizing tobacco as an everyday product). We used a thematic analysis approach to explore how participants rationalized existing warnings and interpreted the novel messages.

Perceptions of health risks of cigarette smoking: A new measure reveals widespread misunderstanding

PloS one, 2017

Most Americans recognize that smoking causes serious diseases, yet many Americans continue to smoke. One possible explanation for this paradox is that perhaps Americans do not accurately perceive the extent to which smoking increases the probability of adverse health outcomes. This paper examines the accuracy of Americans' perceptions of the absolute risk, attributable risk, and relative risk of lung cancer, and assesses which of these beliefs drive Americans' smoking behavior. Using data from three national surveys, statistical analyses were performed by comparing means, medians, and distributions, and by employing Generalized Additive Models. Perceptions of relative risk were associated as expected with smoking onset and smoking cessation, whereas perceptions of absolute risk and attributable risk were not. Additionally, the relation of relative risk with smoking status was stronger among people who held their risk perceptions with more certainty. Most current smokers, for...

Differences in Smoking Attitudes of Adolescents and Young Adults

Psychological Reports, 2007

This study employed the theory of planned behavior to examine the differences between adolescents (n=182) and young adults (n=209) in their intention to smoke and examined possible differences. Analysis showed that young adults had more positive attitudes toward smoking than adolescents, had higher intentions to smoke, lower self-reported perceived behavioral control over smoking and perceived they were more informed about smoking. The theory of planned behavior provided good prediction of intention for both young adults (R 2 = .70, attitudes, information and past behavior significant predictors) and adolescents (R 2 = .68, attitudes, past behavior significant predictors). For both populations attitude was the strongest predictor of intention to smoke. Implications for understanding smoking behavior between adolescents and young adults are discussed.