The association of normative perceptions with adolescent smoking intentions

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.