Peer crowd affiliation as a segmentation tool for young adult tobacco use

Abstract

Background In California, young adult tobacco prevention is of prime importance; 63% of smokers start by the age of 18 years, and 97% start by the age of 26 years. We examined social affiliation with ‘peer crowd’ (eg, Hipsters) as an innovative way to identify high-risk tobacco users. Methods Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in 2014 (N=3368) among young adult bar patrons in 3 California cities. We examined use rates of five products (cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookah, cigars and smokeless tobacco) by five race/ethnicity categories. Peer crowd affiliation was scored based on respondents’ selecting pictures of young adults representing those most and least likely to be in their friend group. Respondents were classified into categories based on the highest score; the peer crowd score was also examined as a continuous predictor. Logistic regression models with each tobacco product as the outcome tested the unique contribution of peer crowd affiliation, controlling for race/ethnicity, age, sex, sexual orientation and city. Results Respondents affiliating with Hip Hop and Hipster peer crowds reported significantly higher rates of tobacco use. As a categorical predictor, peer crowd was related to tobacco use, independent of associations with race/ethnicity. As a continuous predictor, Hip Hop peer crowd affiliation was also associated with tobacco use, and Young Professional affiliation was negatively associated, independent of demographic factors. Conclusions Tobacco product use is not the same across racial/ethnic groups or peer crowds, and peer crowd predicts tobacco use independent of race/ethnicity. Antitobacco interventions targeting peer crowds may be an effective way to reach young adult tobacco users. Trial registration number NCT01686178, Pre-results.

Peer crowd-based targeting in E-cigarette advertisements: a qualitative study to inform counter-marketing

“…'Peer crowds' refer to groups with shared values, interests, lifestyles, styles of dress, influencers, and social tendencies and includes likeminded people outside of one's immediate circle of friends [10][11][12]. Since peer crowds are connected to young adults' social identities, lifestyle, and values, messages targeted to peer crowd may be more relevant than those adapted to demographic characteristics alone [7]. Peer crowd identification can affect young adults' tobacco use as they accept the prototype and perceived social norms of their peer crowd to guide their own behavior [13].…”

“…Peer crowd identification can affect young adults' tobacco use as they accept the prototype and perceived social norms of their peer crowd to guide their own behavior [13]. Peer crowd identification has been shown to be significantly associated with young adults' and adolescents' risks and prevalence of tobacco use: those who identify with the 'Hipster' and 'Hip Hop' peer crowds have significantly greater likelihood of using tobacco [7,11].…”

“…Psychographic audience segmentation may help develop targeted messages that resonate with the given target audience by appealing to what they value the most, therefore yielding greater persuasive effects. Identification with peer groups defined based on psychographics was found to be a significant predictor of tobacco products among young adults [6,7], suggesting its value as a meaningful segmentation criterion for tobacco-related communication [2].…”

Social marketing interventions to promote physical activity among 60 years and older: a systematic review of the literature

“…Research on consumer personality traits, values, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles can identify what motivates targeted behaviours. Such insights have informed interventions that target segments of young adults who use tobacco (45,46), for example Lisha et al's (46) study that identi ed distinct tobacco use risk patterns across different groups of young adults (Hipster, Country, Hip Hop, Partier, Homebody, and Young Professional). Research on the mindsets of older people and their views on physical activity are both lacking and needed.…”

Fighting Fire With Fire

“…This approach has been adopted to some extent in recent years by several federal agencies (e.g., National Cancer Institute, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]) and nongovernmental organizations (e.g., American Heart Associations, National Cancer Society) using such approaches as the Claritas (2016) PRIZM segmentation system for public health campaigns. More specific to the current study, this approach has also been leveraged in antitobacco campaigns as the Truth Initiative (Richardson, Green, Xiao, Sokol, & Vallone, 2010; Thrasher et al, 2004), the Real Cost (Duke et al, 2015), and others (Ling et al, 2014; Lisha, Jordan, & Ling, 2016), demonstrating significant implications for public health promotion.…”