Peer Influence on Adolescent Smoking Initiation and Progression: A Meta-Analysis

• In Event: Anti-Smoking PSAs, Web and Peer Influences

Abstract

Smoking begins and is established primarily during adolescence, a time when social influence is especially powerful. Although many empirical investigations have explored the relations between peer norms and adolescent smoking behaviors, the effect has never been systematically quantified. The present meta-analysis synthesized 208 effect sizes from 67 different studies that examined associations between descriptive peer norms and adolescent smoking initiation and progression with longitudinal panel designs. Both fixed-and random-effects models with robust variance estimates were used to estimate weighted mean odds ratios. The study found significant associations between peer norms and smoking initiation (OR=2.16) and progression (OR=1.82). Moderator analyses revealed that the social closeness between adolescents and their peers was significantly associated with effect size magnitude such that smoking initiation (but not progression) was more influenced by socially closer (vs. more distant) peers. Implications for theory, measurement and campaign practices to prevent adolescents from smoking onset and progression are discussed.

Authors

• Jiaying Liu, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania

• Siman Zhao, U of Pennsylvania

• Xi Chen, U of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

• Emily Falk, University of Pennsylvania

• Robert Hornik, U of Pennsylvania

• Dolores Albarracin, U of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign