“Calling It Starts”: Prosmoking Information Scanning Using Social Media and Increased Young Adult Smoking

• In Event: Social Media, Public Health, and Mental Health

Abstract

The amount of pro-smoking information appearing on social media has increased sharply in the past few years. This proliferation has expanded the potential for widespread exposure to pro-smoking information. Being in a critical age group (aged 18-25) for lifelong smoking behavior, young adults use social media ubiquitously. To show the role of pro-smoking information scanning using social media – routine patterns of social media exposure to pro-smoking information– in smoking behavior, the authors collected survey data from 249 young adults who are social media users. Applying theoretical constructs from the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction (IMBP), the authors offer 3 major findings: (a) pro-smoking information scanning using social media had an indirect effect on young adults’ intentions to smoke cigarettes via changing attitudes, perceived norms, and self-efficacy, with perceived norms being the strongest predictor; (b) levels of participation on social media will be positively related to pro-smoking information scanning; and (c) susceptible non-smokers reported higher pro-smoking information scanning using social media than insusceptible non-smokers. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Author

• Yaguang Zhu, The University of Texas at Austin