Social Influences on Smoking The tobacco industry is important to the economy. In 1991, worldwide tobacco sales exceeded $59.8 billion and in 1992 the industry was rated as one of the top one hundred advertisers (Pechmann and Ratneshwar, 1994). However, there are high prices to pay - socially, economically, and personally - as a result of this industry. Annual mortality figures indicate that cigarette smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States. An estimated 390,000 people die each year of smoke related illnesses, which is greater than the combined mortality for cocaine, crack, AIDS, homicide, suicide, and alcohol abuse (Botvin, G., Baker, Botvin, E., Dusenbury, Cardwell, and Diaz, 1993). This paper will review research which suggests that social influences on smoking occur as a result of several external factors that adolescents face on a daily basis - parental factors, peer pressure, and advertising. Many current and past smokers began experimentation and use during their adolescent years. Social influence is a central component of all models of adolescent substance abuse. It is assumed to be a direct predictor of experimentation and initiation with cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana. One of the major theories that is used to describe this phenomenon is the social control theory. This theory describes bonding factors, such as involvement, family attachment, job or education commitment, and belief in conventional social norms and values. Involvement refers to the idea that individuals who are deeply involved in non deviant activities lack the time to get involved in deviant acts. Attachment to others who value positive norms tends to decrease the likelihood of deviation from t... ... middle of paper ... ...ner, E. H., Diehr, W., & Psaty, B. (1995). School-level application of a social bonding model to adolescent risk-taking behavior. Journal of School Health, 65, 63-69. Morgan, M. & Grube, J. (1989). Adolescent cigarette smoking: A developmental analysis of influences. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 7, 179-189. Newman, I., & Ward. J. (1989). The influence of parental attitude and behavior on early adolescent cigarette smoking. Journal of School Health, 59, 150-153. Pechmann, C. & Ratneshwar, S. (1994). The effects of anti smoking and cigarette advertising on young adolescents' perceptions of peers who smoke. Journal of Consumer Research, 21, 236-251. Sussman, S., Hahn, G., Dent, C. W., Stacy, A. W., Burton, D. & Flay, B. R. (1993). Naturalistic observation of adolescent tobacco use. International Journal of Addictions, 28, 803-811.
Every year in the United States, more than 480,000 people die from tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke; consequently, making this the leading cause of preventable death in this country. People are usually introduced to smoking at a young age; mostly around the preteen years. During this critical time preteen are transitioning from middle school to high school; teens at this age find it a little harder fitting in with others all while forming their own sense of identity. Preteens only pick up the habit of smoking to cope with these challenges. What these teens do not know is that smoking at an early age only increases their chances of suffering from a lifelong addiction. To help assuage the situation the Nicotinell anti-smoking organization
There has been an expediential growth in the number of teenager’s beginning to smokes do to facts such as curiousness, peer
To conclude, one can look economically at the cost of cigarettes, the accessibility of cigarettes, and the amount of money put into advertisements for tobacco. Also psychologically at the effects and real meaning of ads and at females ideas and misconceptions about smoking. And, finally sociologically, peer and family influence play a huge role in the increase of teen smokers.
Schools have always forbade students from using drugs and alcohol, however, many young adults lately are frequent smokers of electronic cigarettes. “Between 2011 and 2012 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed a sharp spike in e-cig experimentation among U.S. middle and high school students.” Vaping is often the term used for smoking electronic cigarettes. The reason why teens use drugs and alcohol have been thoroughly discussed; but what has not been thoroughly discussed, is why they smoke in the first place? What exactly causes teens to smoke E-cigs and what are the effects of vaping? Numerous explanations can be used to determine why teens smoke. Some of them are the same reason teens drink and do drugs. The main reasons include their desire to fit in with their peers, and their natural curiosity.
There are factors that can either discourage or promote smoking. They are classified as intrapersonal, cultural-environmental and social-contextual streams. The intrapersonal stream involves personality-related and biological factors such as the tendency to take risks, self-esteem and self-concept issues which serves as risk or protective factors for adolescents that smoke. The cultural-environmental
In recent years, smoking has started to take over the lives of many teenagers. The number of teenagers smoking has increased dramatically in the last several years. This is a major problem because smoking can lead to sickness and major diseases that can lead to death. Teens tend to participate in this while out of the presence of an adult figure. Although teens should not be smoking in the first place, an adult figure should be around to help insure that their children are doing the right things, even when they are behind closed doors with their peers. Teenagers as they mature become a model for younger children and when they set the example of smoking can ruin their good image to the children that look up to them.
Furthermore, since young children have been introduced and exposed to tobacco advertising, children younger than the age o...
Teens smoking has been a public concern for centuries. In a recent article published earlier this year by Fox News, highlighted the rate and risks of teens smoking and the rise of e-cigarettes. One of the main questions posed was, why do teens smoke? There is no definite answer, however, biology has provided a few explanations: Scientific studies shows that, until adolescents are in their twenties their brains are not equipped enough to evaluate and determine the risks and consequences of their actions. This creates vulnerability making them an ideal target for tobacco companies. Luckily, the federal government has set strict rules that limit tobacco companies whose advertisements target minors. Though the rate has dropped for tobacco cigarettes
Young people who start smoking at an earlier age are more likely to develop long-term nicotine addiction than people who start later. So why do teens start smoking? You might ask. Most teens start smoking for two contradictory reasons: They want to be part of a peer group, while rejecting society and its norms. They want to reach out and to rebel at the same time. Teenagers also relish smoking as a sigh of independence, even impudence. The more authority figures tell them not to smoke, the more psychic rewards they get from the habit. Cigarettes a hazard to life have become very common. It is just a burning a piece of paper and tobacco, but smokers ignore and take the carbon dioxide into the lungs. People are killing themselves and harming others by smoking....
Few research studies have portrayed brand type magazine advertising does not exposure youths or test its contact on youth smoking behaviour regardless of the potential influence of tobacco advertising on youth smoking.. The levels of brand-specific advertising exposure were highly correlated with national brand market shares. Among the cohort, exposure to tobacco advertising in media and magazines correlated as it initiates among new smokers, current cigarette brand smoked by present smokers and gives branding to whosoever advertising gains more attention. It certainly does gives out evidence that advertising and cigarettes shown in media certainly does impacts the youth smoking.
Cigarette smoking is a major cause of lung cancer and many other illnesses. At least one out of five death in American society caused by disease directly related to cigarette smoking. The overall smoking prevalence in the United States has been reduced considerably over the past 20 years; however, there have been only minimal reductions in smoking prevalence among adolescents and young adults. Among college students, the prevalence of use of cigarettes is still about 35%. Although smoking among adolescents and young adults is often associated as a bad, but temporary habit, determinants of smoking among college students and the amount of harm it causes to their health and health of others are largely unknown.
Some claim that kids slip into smoking out of immaturity or impulsiveness. But even adolescents have some logic which is social and psychological.
Teen Smoking Teen smoking. Those two words mean a lot of things to a lot of different people. To some it means nothing. They are just two meaningless words found under T and S in the dictionary. To others it is as if these words symbolize some sort of treason or crime against society. Yet to others it is just another stereotype to be placed under. And to some it is a salvation. An escape. Unfortunately I am writing this paper so you will get my positions on teen smoking rather than other peoples. Teen smoking gathers a lot of emotions when I think about it. It makes me very angry sometimes. My first draft of this was good but I saw myself getting angry and lashing out on everyone, so I revised it. But enough of that, I find teen smoking to be a very controversial subject. To be completely honest with you I am smoking right now as I am writing this. Obviously I am a smoker. I am 17 years old and I am a smoker. In the late 1990’s, the statistics showed that approximately 25% of teens smoke. That’s one out of every four teenagers. High school is a tough time for teens. These years are critical to a teens future. This explains why a vast majority of smokers start at 16 years or younger with the most common age being 14 years old(freshman). It has also been proven also that teens who score lower in school smoke more than higher scoring students do. It seems that everyone smokes in our school. Our school is overrun with smokers. It is right now at least 50% smokers and 65% if you count the people who will smoke before their high school career is up. We practically encourage it. I mean Fireman’s Field practically condones teen smoking. Teen smoking is defiantly a problem in our school, as well as schools all over the United States. I feel that teen smoking is a huge problem. I feel that too many teenagers smoke cigarettes. It is something that needs to get dealt with. But before I get into that I should probably start with the causes of teen smoking. There are several factors that start teens on smoking cigarettes. There has to be considering that over 1 million new teenagers will start smoking annually. The most common is peer pressure.
In our time teenagers and people think that smoking is not bad, but they do not understand that smoking can affects your entire body. Research has shown that teens tobacco users are more likely to use alcohol and
"Because young people tend to carry the smoking habits they develop in adolescence into adulthood, the substantial and continuing increases in teen smoking bode ill for the eventual longevity and health of this generation of American young people," concludes Johnston. "Hundreds of thousands of children from each graduating class are likely to suffer appalling diseases, and to die prematurely, as a result of the smoking habits they are developing in childhood and adolescence." Young people continue to report cigarettes as being easily available to them: 77 percent of the eighth-graders, who are 13 or 14 years old, report that cigarettes would be "very easy" or "fairly easy" for them to get, and 91 percent of th...