Tobacco Marketing, Peer Influences, and College Smoking

Jennifer M. Shultz, Ph.D.Lance C. Garmon, Ph.D.Mary Ellen Wewers, R.N., Ph.D.

The Ohio State UniversityCollege of NursingSalisburyUniversityThe OhioStateUniversityCollege of Nursing

Abstract

Although the overall percentage of American adults who use tobacco products (21.6%; Center for Disease Control 2005) recently decreased, the rates for tobacco use among college students is still higher than the national average (28.5%; Rigotti, Lee, and Wechsler, 2000). Recent studies (Ling and Glantz, 2002; Sepe, Ling, and Glantz, 2002; Biener and Albers, 2004) suggest that the tobacco industry has used marketing techniques to target the college-aged consumer. Moran, Wechsler, and Rigotti, (2004) have also identified the existence of collegesocial smokers, or those individuals that do not consider themselves to be regular smokers but who do smoke when in social gatherings with peers.

A sample of 274 undergraduate students were assessed and 24.5% reported that they had used tobacco products in the last 30 days, the majority of which reported having used tobacco in social settings where alcohol was present (52.2%).Our results show that social smokers who use with alcohol are 4 times more likely than the other tobacco users to have first tried tobacco in college. Those subjects who use tobacco regularly or use in social settings with alcohol are much more likely to report that most or all of their friends use tobacco (X2 = 22.14, p<.01). Finally, regular uses and those who use in social situations with alcohol are much more likely to report using tobacco-industry promotional items, such as coupons, when they purchase tobacco (X2 = 9.31, p<.01).

Our findings suggest that those college students who only use tobacco in social settings involving alcohol are different from those who use tobacco regularly or in social settings without alcohol. Although additional research is needed, the existence of these different types of tobacco users could argue for possibly targeting future anti-tobacco use campaigns in such a way as to reflect these differences.

BACKGROUND

Although recent statistics released by the Center for Disease Control (2005) do suggest that there has been a recent decrease in the overall percentage of American adults who use smoke (21.6%), the rates for tobacco use among college students is still higher than the national average and a significant number of adult smokers begin their smoking-related behaviors in college. In a study by Rigotti, Lee, and Wechsler (2000), 28.5% of college students nationwide reported using cigarettes in the last 30 days. Research by Everett, Husten, Kann, Warren, Sharp, and Crossett (1999) found that 10.8% of the college student subjects report that they smoked their first cigarette when they were aged 19 or older, and 19% became daily smokers when aged 19 or older, a typical age for college students.

Previous research in the field has examined possible predictors of tobacco use in early or middle adolescence, however, there appear to be differences in the way those predictors exert that influence during the college years, particularly when considering social influences. The use of tobacco products by parents continues to be influential in middle and late adolescence, but seems to become less of an influence than the tobacco-use behaviors of peers (Shultz et al, 2004) or romantic partners (Etcheverry and Agnew, 2004). Other lines of research have shown the relationship between tobacco use and the consumption of alcohol, with living on or off-campus, and involvement with campus activities (Jones, Oeltmann, Wilson, Brener, and Hill, 2001; Emmons, Abraham, Wechsler, and Dowdall, 1998). In addition, studies by Ling and Glantz (2002), Sepe, Ling, and Glantz (2002), and Biener and Albers (2004), have shown that the tobacco industry has used such marketing techniques as sponsoring events in bars and music concerts, as well as offering tobacco-related promotional items in nightclubs, to target the college-aged consumer

Moran, Wechsler, and Rigotti (2004) have also identified the existence of social smokers, or those individuals that do not consider themselves to be regular smokers but who do smoke when in social gatherings with peers, when studying college students. They found that 51% of their subjects identified themselves as social smokers, not regular smokers. The current research is an attempt to extend upon these previous findings by substantiating the existence of tobacco users who first begin to use tobacco after high school and by further exploring factors associated with the use of tobacco products in social settings only.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Undergraduate students across all majors and disciplines were assessed as part of an annual, omnibus survey at a large Midwestern university. Undergraduate students were first contacted by email in early 2004 and asked to complete the survey on-line by clicking on a link with an embedded password. Those who failed to complete the survey on-line were contacted by trained interviewers and completed the survey by telephone.This survey included a new measure of tobacco-use related behaviors, including items related to recent use of tobacco, situations where tobacco-use behaviors may occur, and both the awareness of and participation in tobacco company promotions.

RESULTS

Of the 305 undergraduates who completed the poll, 274 subjects were between 18 and 25 years of age and completely answered all of the tobacco-related questions. The sample was relatively equally distributed between males and females (49.4% and 50.6% respectively) and across class rank: 22.5% Freshmen, 26.8% Sophomores, 22.8% Juniors, and 27.9% Seniors (see Table 1). Of those 274 subjects, 24.5% reported that they had used tobacco products in the last 30 days. While there were no significant differences in tobacco use across class rank (X2 =3.52, p=.318), males are significantly more likely to use tobacco products across all categories (X2 = 13.14, p <.001). The majority (71.4%) reported smoking cigarettes, while the rest reported using such tobacco products as cigars, pipes, and snuff or chew. Similar to previous research, 9.3% report that they first tried tobacco in college and 8.4% report starting to use tobacco daily only after beginning college.

Table 1: Distribution of Tobacco Use in Last 30 Days
Don’t Use / Social, With Alcohol / Social, Without Alcohol / Regular Use / Total
School Rank
1st Year / 49 / 7 / 1 / 4 / 61
2nd Year / 58 / 8 / 1 / 6 / 73
3rd Year / 42 / 10 / 3 / 7 / 62
4th Year / 56 / 10 / 4 / 6 / 76
Gender
Male / 88 / 24 / 7 / 15 / 134
Female / 116 / 11 / 2 / 8 / 137
Total / 204 / 35 / 9 / 23

Those subjects who reported tobacco use in the last 30 days were asked to self-identify themselves as either a) regular users b) users of tobacco in social settings with friends, WITH alcohol, or c) users of tobacco in social settings with friends, WITHOUT alcohol (see Graph 1). The majority of subjects who reported using tobacco self-identified as having used tobacco in social settings where alcohol was present (52.2%). Only 13.4% of subjects reported using tobacco in social settings without alcohol and only 34.4 % self-identified themselves as a regular tobacco user.


These three groups exhibit some potentially important differences. Social smokers who use with alcohol are 4 times more likely than the other tobacco users to have first tried tobacco in college (see Graph 2). Peers influences also exist such that those subjects who use tobacco regularly or use in social settings with alcohol are much more likely to report that most or all of their friends use tobacco than are those subjects who use tobacco in social settings without alcohol (X2 = 22.14, p<.01; see Table 2). Finally, regular uses and those who use in social situations with alcohol are much more likely to report using tobacco-industry promotional items, such as coupons, when they purchase tobacco, than are subjects who are social users without alcohol (X2 = 9.31, p<.01; Graph 3).

Table 2: Friends Use of Alcohol
Tobacco use in
last 30 Days / “About how many of your Friends Use Tobacco of any kind?”
All / Most / Half / Few / None / Total
Regular Use / 0 / 10 / 8 / 5 / 0 / 23
Social, Without Alcohol / 0 / 0 / 8 / 1 / 0 / 9
Social, With Alcohol / 1 / 4 / 11 / 18 / 1 / 35
Total / 1 / 14 / 27 / 24 / 1 / 67


DISCUSSION

The percentage of students who use tobacco products in the current study were similar to numbers found in previous studies, including for those that first use tobacco in college. Although many smokers do begin to use tobacco in early or middle adolescence, these findings suggest that a significant number of individuals are still making life-altering choices related to tobacco use during the emerging adulthood years of college. Future research in this area needs to continue to examine the unique influential factors at work for this age group, as well as evaluating tobacco-use prevention campaigns that incorporate research specific to decision-making process for those that are of college-age.

In addition, our research is the first we know of to specifically examine a distinction between tobacco use with peers where alcohol is present or not present. Our findings suggest that those college students who only use tobacco in social settings involving alcohol are different from those who use tobacco regularly or in social settings without alcohol. Although additional research needs to be conducted to expand upon this study’s relatively small sample size, the existence of these different types of tobacco users would argue for possibly targeting future anti-tobacco use campaigns in such a way as to reflect these differences

REFERENCES

Biener, L, & Albers, A. B., (2004).Young adults:Vulnerable new targets of tobacco marketing.American Journal of Public Health, 94(2), 326-330.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2005).Cigarette smoking among adults - United States, 2003.Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.May 27, 2005.

Emmons, K. A., Abraham, M., Wechsler H, & Dowdall, G.(1998). Predictors of smoking among U. S. college students.American Journal of Public Health, 88(1), 104 -107.

Everett, S. A.,Husten, C. G., Kann, L., Warren, C. W, Sharp, D., & Crossett, L. (1999).Smoking initiation and smoking patterns among U. S. college students.Journal of AmericanCollege Health, 48(2), 55-60.

Etcheverry, P.A., & Agnew, C. R. (2004).Perceived romantic partner opinion regarding cigarette smoking predicts concurrent and future use. Paper presentation at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Society, Chicago, Il.

Jones, S. E., Oeltmann, J., Wilson, T. W., Brener, N. D., & Hill, C. V. (2001).Binge drinking among undergraduate college students in the United States:Implications for other substance use.Journal of AmericanCollege Health, 50, 33-38.

Ling, P. M., & Glantz, S. A. (2002)Why and how the tobacco industry sells cigarettes to young adults:Evidence from industry documents. American Journal of Public Health, 92(6), 908-916.

Moran, S. E.,Wechsler, H., & and Rigotti, N. A. (2004).Social smoking among US college students.Pediatrics,114 (4) , 1028-1034.

Rigotti, N. A., Lee, J. E., & Wechsler, H. (2000).U. S. college students' use of tobacco products:Results of a national survey. Journal of the American Medical Association, 284, 699-705.

Rigotti, N.A., Moran, S.E., &Weschler, H. (2005)US college students' exposure to tobacco promotions: Prevalence and association with tobacco use. American Journal of Public Health. 95(1), Jan 2005, 138-144.

Sepe, E., & and Glantz, S. A., (2002).Bar and club tobacco promotions in the alternative press: Targeting young adults. American Journal of Public Health. 92(1), Jan 2002, 75-78.

Sepe, E., Ling, P. M., & Glantz, S. A. (2002).Smooth moves:Bar and nightclub promotions that target young adults.American Journal of Public Health, 92(3), 414-419.

Shultz, J. M., Garmon, L. C., & Wewers, M. E. (2004).Influences of interpersonal relationships on smoking decisions in college students. Paper presentation at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Society, Chicago, Il.

Shultz et.al., 2005-p. 1