Peer effects on smoking amongst NUS students NM3220 | Sem1 AY 12/13 | Group 5 Li Ting . Shiqi . Sihui . Nicholas . Aishah

How does peer influence affect smoking behavior amongst NUS students?

Intro Methodology Findings Discussion Limitation

Theoretical framework:

Social Cognitive Theory •  Passive vs. active peer influence

Focus Group Interviews –  Qualitative, formative research

–  Five 1 hour focus groups –  Semi-structured

Snowball sampling –  23 participants

–  5 groups of 4-5 participants

Coding and Thematic Analyses

–  3 coders in total

Intro

Methodology Findings Discussion Limitation

Passive peer-related effects

1.  No active peer pressure

•  Old enough to choose

•  Encourage peers who are trying to

quit

2.  Camaraderie of being a

marginalized group •  Shared identity as deviants

•  Shared experience of ‘’seeing the light”

3.  A form of social captial •  Social networking activity

•  “Smoker’s Creed”

Intro Methodology

Findings Discussion Limitation

Passive peer-related effects 4.  Stigma of smoking

•  Contradiction between being a SMOKER and being an ELITE

•  Need to “tread cautiously” in certain contexts

•  Gender bias

5.  Smoking behavior changes with peers •  Smoke more with friends

•  Difficult to quit when surrounded by smoking friends

Intro Methodology

Findings Discussion Limitation

Health-related issues 1.  Exaggerated health implications

2.  “Success” stories

3.  Physiological benefits •  Energized and keep awake

•  Weight loss

•  Ayurveda: Coffee + smoking gets rid of water retention

Intro Methodology

Findings Discussion Limitation

“It’s like I’ll probably die from heart disease or like from jaywalking before I get killed by cigarettes”

Smoking perceived as a personal choice 1.  Therapeutic effects of smoking

•  Stress relief

2.  Self-efficacy •  Self-control over smoking behavior

Intro Methodology

Findings Discussion Limitation

“You won’t get addicted to cigarettes unless you really want to get addicted to cigarettes.”

Modeling behavior 1.  Passive peer effects as a

dominant theme: in-group identification

2.  Disassociation with out-group •  ‘The Other’: Judgmental vs. Open-

minded smokers

3.  Identification with >1 in-group •  Conflicting systems of norms of

separate in-groups

•  Smoker vs. elite

Intro Methodology Findings

Discussion Limitation

Positionality of NUS smoking population •  “Elite smokers”

–  “Seen the light”

–  previously held “JC attitude”

–  Different from other smokers in wider society

Intro Methodology Findings

Discussion Limitation

Intro Methodology Findings

Discussion Limitation

Recommendation: -  Understanding the unique

social circle of NUS smokers -  Move away from traditional

anti-smoking messages/angles

Rationalizing of smoking behavior •  Personal choice based on rational

weighing of benefits and costs –  Linked to self-efficacy (discipline to quit)

–  Using positive physiological effects of smoking to counter negative health implications

•  NUS smokers = high educational status, perceived ability to process and analyze information –  Be it sound or delusional

Intro Methodology Findings

Discussion Limitation

Intro Methodology Findings

Discussion Limitation

Recommendation: -  Understand that NUS students are

positioned to perceive themselves as rationalizing individuals

-  Future communication messages should be logical and persuasive

-  And crafted by taking into account possible counterarguments

Sampling •  Did not foresee gender

differences / differences between faculties

–  Need for more purposive sampling •  Better representation of the

studied population

•  Homogeneity within each group

Intro Methodology Findings Discussion

Limitations

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End.

Questions? NM3220 | Sem1 AY 12/13 | Group 5 Li Ting . Shiqi . Sihui . Nicholas . Aishah