Vaping in Context: Links Among E-cigarette Use,Social Status,and Peer Influence for College Students

Abstract

In this study, we examined how the number of friends and leadership among peers related to e-cigarette use and beliefs about the social consequences of use among college students. Data were collected via web survey from 175 university students in 2016. Regression techniques were used to analyze responses. Neither number of friends nor role in a peer group was associated with e-cigarette use. Having more friends who used e-cigarettes was positively associated with being offered an e-cigarette, likelihood of accepting a future offer, and e-cigarette use. Perceived social impact was positively related to frequency of use and likelihood of accepting an offered e-cigarette. Those using e-cigarettes more frequently and those with friends using e-cigarettes perceived e-cigarette use as having a positive social effect.

Keywords

e-cigarettes college students social status

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abadi

Couch

E. T.

Chaffee

B. W.

Walsh

M. M.

(2017). Perceptions related to use of electronic cigarettes among California college students. Journal of Dental Hygiene, 91(1), 35–43.

Balsa

A. I.

Homer

J. F.

French

M. T.

Norton

E. C.

(2011). Alcohol use and popularity: Social payoffs from conforming to peers’ behavior. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(3), 559–568. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00704.x

Bland

J. M.

Altman

D. G.

(1997). Statistics notes: Cronbach’s alpha. BMJ, 314(7080), 572. doi:10.1136/bmj.314.7080.572

Borders

T. F.

K. T.

Bacchi

Cohen

SoRelle-Miner

(2005). College campus smoking policies and programs and students’ smoking behaviors. BMC Public Health, 5, 74. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-5-74

Boseley

(2015, June 9). Hon Lik invented the e-cigarette to quit smoking – But now he’s a dual user. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jun/09/hon-lik-e-cigarette-inventor-quit-smoking-dual-user

Carroll Chapman

S. L.

L.-T.

(2014). E-cigarette prevalence and correlates of use among adolescents versus adults: A review and comparison. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 54, 43–54. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.03.005

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Youth online: High school YRBS. Retrieved from https://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline/App/Default.aspx

Chatham-Stephens

Law

Taylor

Melstrom

Brunnell

Wang

, … Schier

(2014). Notes from the field: Calls to poison centers for exposures to electronic cigarettes. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 63(13), 292–293.

Choi

Forster

(2013). Characteristics associated with awareness, perceptions, and use of electronic nicotine delivery systems among young US Midwestern adults. American Journal of Public Health, 103(3), 556–561. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.300947

10.

Cooper

Loukas

Harrell

M. B.

Perry

C. L.

(2017). College students’ perceptions of risk and addictiveness of e-cigarettes and cigarettes. Journal of American College Health, 65(2), 103–111. doi:10.1080/07448481.2016.1254638

11.

Counotte

D. S.

Spijker

Van de Burgwal

L. H.

Hogenboom

Schoffelmeer

A. N. M.

De Vries

T. J.

, … Pattij

(2008). Long-lasting cognitive deficits resulting from adolescent nicotine exposure in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology, 34(2), 299–306. doi:10.1038/npp.2008.96

12.

Fishbein

(1979). A theory of reasoned action: Some applications and implications. Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 27, 65–116.

13.

Fountain

S. B.

Rowan

J. D.

Kelley

B. M.

Willey

A. R.

Nolley

E. P.

(2008). Adolescent exposure to nicotine impairs adult serial pattern learning in rats. Experimental Brain Research, 187(4), 651–656. doi:10.1007/s00221-008-1346-4

14.

Halpern-Felsher

B. L.

Biehl

Kropp

Rubenstein

M. L.

(2004). Perceived risks and benefits of smoking: Differences among adolescents with different smoking experiences and intentions. Preventive Medicine, 39(3), 559–567. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2004.02.017

15.

Hoffman

B. R.

Sussman

Unger

J. B.

Valente

T. W.

(2006). Peer influences on adolescent cigarette smoking: A theoretical review of the literature. Substance Use & Misuse, 41(1), 103–155. doi:10.1080/10826080500368892

16.

Kenne

D. R.

Mix

Banks

Fischbein

(2016). Electronic cigarette initiation and correlates of use among never, former, and current tobacco cigarette smoking college students. Journal of Substance Use, 21(5), 491–494. doi:10.3109/14659891.2015.1068387

17.

Kiuru

Burk

W. J.

Laursen

Salmela-Aro

Nurmi

J.-E.

(2010). Pressure to drink but not to smoke: Disentangling selection and socialization in adolescent peer networks and peer groups. Journal of Adolescence, 33(6), 801–812. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2010.07.006

18.

Klatt

Berg

C. J.

Thomas

J. L.

Ehlinger

Ahluwalia

J. S.

L. C.

(2008). The role of peer e-mail support as part of a college smoking-cessation website. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 35(6, Supplement), S471–S478. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2008.09.001

19.

Kong

Morean

M. E.

Cavallo

D. A.

Camenga

D. R.

Krishnan-Sarin

(2015). Reasons for electronic cigarette experimentation and discontinuation among adolescents and young adults. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 17(7), 847–854. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntu257

20.

Littlefield

A. K.

Gottlieb

J. C.

Cohen

L. M.

Trotter

D. R. M.

(2015). Electronic cigarette use among college students: Links to gender, race/ethnicity, smoking, and heavy drinking. Journal of American College Health, 63(8), 523–529. doi:10.1080/07448481.2015.1043130

21.

Loomis

Bell

Cooney

Asmus

(2009). A comparison of actual and hypothetical willingness to pay of parents and non-parents for protecting infant health: The case of nitrates in drinking water. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, 41(3), 697–712.

22.

McPherson

Smith-Lovin

Cook

J. M.

(2001). Birds of a feather: Homophily in social networks. Annual Review of Sociology, 27, 415–444. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.415

23.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2017). Fast facts. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=98

24.

Osgood

D. W.

Feinberg

M. E.

Wallace

L. N.

Moody

(2014). Friendship group position and substance use. Addictive Behaviors, 39(5), 923–933. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2013.12.009

25.

Phua

(2011). The influence of peer norms and popularity on smoking and drinking behavior among college fraternity members: A social network analysis. Social Influence, 6(3), 153–168. doi:10.1080/15534510.2011.584445

26.

Pokhrel

Little

M. A.

Fagan

Muranaka

Herzog

T. A.

(2014). Electronic cigarette use outcome expectancies among college students. Addictive Behaviors, 39(6), 1062–1065. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.02.014

27.

Saddleson

M. L.

Kozlowski

L. T.

Giovino

G. A.

Hawk

L. W.

Murphy

J. M.

MacLean

M. G.

, … Mahoney

M. C.

(2015). Risky behaviors, e-cigarette use and susceptibility of use among college students. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 149, 25–30. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.01.001

28.

Sawdey

M. D.

Hancock

Messner

Prom-Wormley

E. C.

(2017). Assessing the association between e-cigarette use and exposure to social media in college students: A cross-sectional study. Substance Use & Misuse, 52(14), 1910–1917. doi:10.1080/10826084.2017.1319390

29.

Schoenborn

C. A.

Gindi

R. M.

(2015, October). Electronic cigarette use among adults: United States, 2014. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db217.pdf

30.

Stuber

Galea

Link

B. G.

(2008). Smoking and the emergence of a stigmatized social status. Social Science & Medicine, 67(3), 420–430. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.03.010

31.

Sutfin

E. L.

McCoy

T. P.

Morrell

H. E. R.

Hoeppner

B. B.

Wolfson

(2013). Electronic cigarette use by college students. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 131(3), 214–221. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.05.001

32.

Sutfin

E. L.

Reboussin

B. A.

Debinski

Wagoner

K. G.

Spangler

Wolfson

(2015). The impact of trying electronic cigarettes on cigarette smoking by college students: A prospective analysis. American Journal of Public Health, 105(8), e83–e89. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302707

33.

Taira

D. A.

Seto

J. C.

Masterson

Guimaraes

Davis

(2018). Attitudes of college-aged electronic cigarette users in Hawaii. Health Behavior and Policy Review, 5(1), 94–102. doi:10.14485/HBPR.5.1.10

34.

Tan

A. S. L.

Bigman

C. A.

(2014). E-cigarette awareness and perceived harmfulness: Prevalence and associations with smoking-cessation outcomes. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47(2), 141–149. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2014.02.011

35.

Trumbo

C. W.

Harper

(2013). Use and perception of electronic cigarettes among college students. Journal of American College Health, 61(3), 149–155. doi:10.1080/07448481.2013.776052

36.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2016). E-cigarette use among youth and young adults: A report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health.

37.

Valente

T. W.

Gallaher

Mouttapa

(2004). Using social networks to understand and prevent substance use: A transdisciplinary perspective. Substance Use & Misuse, 39(10–12), 1685–1712. doi:10.1081/JA-200033210