Paper
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
551
An International Perspective on Teen and Young Adult Tobacco Use
Evelyn R. Hayes, PhD, APRN, BC1, Leta P. Aljadir, MS, RD2, and Lisa Plowfield, PhD, RN1. (1) School of Nursing, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA, (2) Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| Learning Objective #1: compare and contrast teens and young adults' tobacco use and cessation beliefs. |
| Learning Objective #2: describe motivators and inhibitors of tobacco use among teens and young adults. |
Examining and understanding motivators and inhibitors of tobacco use can lead to building effective strategies to promote health. Decision making related to tobacco use is not well understood. This study compared Norwegian and American reports of tobacco use and cessation beliefs among teens and young adults. A descriptive comparative study answered five questions: 1) What motivates teens and young adults to begin smoking tobacco?; 2) What keeps non-smoking teens and young adults from beginning tobacco use?; 3) For those who smoke or have smoked, what situations increase their use of tobacco products?; 4) What incentives do teens and young adults have for ending their tobacco use; and 5) What types of cessation messages and programs are most attractive to teens and young adults?. A convenience sample of college students (n=208) at the University of Delaware (n=100) and University of Science and Technology in Trondheim (n=108) answered the “Tobacco Use Among College Students” questionnaire. Young adults in Norway and the United States reported peer pressure as the greatest influencing factor in beginning to smoke. Ninety-eight percent of Norwegian young adults cited “health” as major reason for not smoking, whereas only 40% of U.S. peers cited “health.” Reasons for “lighting up” were similar in both groups; these reasons included socialization, boredom, stress and at meal time. Norwegian students reported a greater impact of media campaigns than their U.S. peers. Although not identified by U.S. students, the Norwegians identified a need for a legal ban as a cessation strategy. The most effective cessation strategy identified by Norwegian and American smokers and nonsmokers was showing the physical effects of smoking through pictures. When asked to identify the most effective visual message for cessation, all students agreed on the same poster indicating a universal strategy for effective media campaigns targeting teens and young adults globally.