Teens Don't Think Smoking is Cool, Study Finds

We know that many teens smoke, but what makes a teen first decide to light up? Many assume it’s because teens think smoking is cool and will make them popular among their peers. But a study at Saint Louis University School of Public Health found that most teens think smoking is a dirty habit that makes your skin, teeth and clothing less attractive. The study, by Douglas Luke, Ph.D., associate professor, appears in the current issue of Public Health Reports.

Dr. Luke and his team found that 74 percent of the teen participants perceived nonsmokers as having busy, active lives, while they felt smokers seem to have nothing better to do. Many teens (about 70 percent) also felt that smokers were more likely to be substance abusers, sexually active, depressed, angry and stressed-out.

With all these negatives images, why do more than a third of teens still smoke? “The one area in which the tobacco industry has apparently been effective is in linking smoking with rebellion,” Dr. Luke said. “Given that adolescence is a time to try out many risky behaviors, this connection between smoking, rebellion, drugs and sex is potentially a powerful lure for teenagers. The ironic paradox is that although many teens see smokers as being independent rebels, they also see nonsmokers as being in control and not caving in to peer pressure.”

The team obtained and analyzed data from almost 800 teenagers participating in focus groups at research sites in the inner city, suburbs and rural areas around the United States. The participants were male and female, African American, white, Hispanic, American Indian and Asian/Pacific Islander. Forty-two percent of the teens were current smokers.

What might this mean to public health practitioners trying to encourage teens to stop, or ideally, never start smoking? “Continuing to emphasize the health dangers of smoking may be ineffective, since teens are attracted to smoking precisely because of its association with risk,” said Dr. Luke. “Maybe if the public health community can make better use of this information, by portraying nonsmokers as having busy, fulfilled lives, and smokers as being bored, depressed and stressed out, it will be more effective than the traditional negative health warnings.”

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