Adolescents’ Perceptions of Tobacco Control Measures in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Understanding youth perceptions of measures that either encourage or discourage youth smoking is critical to help inform and consolidate tobacco control policy. Twelve focus groups, comprising adolescent smokers (N = 32) and nonsmokers (N = 35) aged 11 to 16 years were conducted in Glasgow and Lothian, Scotland. Each focus group explored factors adolescents encounter in everyday life that they perceive to facilitate or impede smoking, and about smoke-free legislation, smoking in domestic situations, access to cigarettes, and health warnings. It emerged that antitobacco advertisements and smoke-free legislation were considered of value in terms of being capable of reducing smoking. Although some adolescent smokers believed that adult smokers would not stop smoking because of a smoking ban, but instead compensate by smoking more elsewhere, such as at home, most adolescents with smoking parents or relatives indicate that this has not happened. Tightening regulation on ease of access to cigarettes was considered a suitable means of reducing youth smoking, although some smokers suggested that this could be easily circumvented by having others purchase tobacco on their behalf. Despite high awareness, text-only health warnings were not considered to discourage smoking. Point-of-sale tobacco displays however were considered to encourage smoking—being cool, fun, and attractive.