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Connolly, Scott W.

College of Education and Social Services

2005

Ed. D.

Cigarette smoking is a major preventable public health problem and innovative methods are needed to reduce youth initiation of tobacco use. Groups at highest risk include those from lower income levels and adolescent experimenters aged 11-14-years-old. Evidence shows that youth mass media campaigns reduce smoking initiation (Flynn, Worden, Secker Walker, Pirie, Badger et al., 1994) however tailored messages to address youth income levels may increase their effectiveness. This strategy is widely used for reaching adult audiences however, no such recommendations or studies are found for adolescent audiences. To explore receptivity to tobacco prevention ads by income level, a social marketing framework using elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and social cognitive theory (SCT) was used. Participants from low income (LI) and medium-high income (MHI) groups were selected for this qualitative study. Results showed that most participants identified with non-smoking characters in the ads and agreed that non-smoking was "cool" and smoking "uncool" and this was found to be the norm among participants and schools. However, LI participants, who expressed high involvement in smoking due to the issue of tobacco's potential to harm their families, indicated needing messages that contained factual arguments providing multiple reasons not to smoke delivered by more than one spokesperson. This is congruent with ELM theory whereby high elaborators need rational arguments corning from multiple sources when an issue is relevant (Petty, Cacioppo, & Schumann, 1983). MHI students did not have a similar experience with family smoking history, yet had vicarious knowledge of the harms of smoking; involvement was experienced through education and media and this is consonant with observational learning, a sub-process of SCT (Bandura, 1986). Message preferences for this group included showing normatively themed ads with ethnically diverse spokespersons. These results suggest messages may need to be tailored based on type of involvement and experience with the smoking issue among 11-14-year-old youth audiences from different income levels.