Attitudes toward tobacco among low-income Hispanic adolescents: Implications for prevention

Abstract

Youth maintain several tensions in their views on tobacco. Tobacco use is considered unpleasant and harmful, yet youth perceive their peers to view it as cool. Peer to peer discussion of tobacco experiences and perceptions may help correct these incongruent viewpoints. Adding to this tension is the perception that tobacco is used to manage stress. Given the importance of the home environment for Hispanic youth, tobacco prevention efforts may benefit from engaging family to identify the ways in which tobacco use causes stress.

Perceptions of friendship, peers and influence on smoking according to socioeconomic status and tobacco control context: A systematic review and meta-ethnography of qualitative research

“…Despite this, results relating to socioeconomic status were sparse. Only 17 out of 38 studies reported students' SES, six studies focused on participants mainly from deprived communities(26, 39,41,42,46,53) and only four studies assessed results separately according to school-level SES (31,48,49,61). These studies showed that context, in terms of school level SES, was reported to be important in both pre-and post-legislative data in terms of how social in uence on smoking behaviour was manifested.…”

“…This theme focuses on the higher level determinants which set the wider context and interact with the lower level determinants discussed in the subsequent four themes to affect smoking behaviour. Nineteen studies published before the introduction of comprehensive tobacco legislation contributed to this theme (25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43). The main ndings within this theme centred around culture and socioeconomic status.…”

“…Findings showed that older adolescents modelled smoking behaviour, and that adolescents felt confusion and tension when confronted with peer smoking and expectations, which often contrasted with family expectations of refraining from smoking (42). Modelling was also reported to exert in uence on adolescents' decisions to smoke, with those with parents who smoke being more likely to smoke themselves (29,50).…”

“…The majority of studies focused on smoking as a way of creating a self-identity at an important stage of development. Mainly, this was manifested in adolescents reporting smoking to look cool, hard(28, 39, 41, 42, 50, 52-54, 59-61, 64, 65), mature (31,(33)(34)(35)(41)(42)(43) or popular (38,41,42,64,65). With males in particular aiming to portray a brave and masculine identity (29,33,36,43,61).…”

“…However, there were mixed opinions of whether smoking was actually perceived as an activity undertaken by popular or 'cool' individuals or not. For example, individuals reported negative personal perceptions of smoking (41), whilst reporting a belief that others perceive cigarettes as cool, good for them and fun (42). Thus, this misperception may work to perpetuate the perceived need to smoke to look cool.…”