October 13, 2003
Novelty-Seeking Teens More Receptive to Tobacco Advertising,
New Study Shows
(Philadelphia, PA)-- Adolescents who demonstrate impulsive
and risk-taking behavior and an increased need for stimulation,
a personality trait known as “novelty-seeking,”
are more receptive to tobacco advertising and are at
high risk for smoking initiation according to a study
by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine and Georgetown University.
Research results appear in the October issue of Health
Communication.
“To better understand the influence of tobacco
advertising on youth, this study sought to identify
subgroups of adolescents who have been most receptive
to tobacco advertising and promotional activities,”
said lead author Janet Audrain, PhD,
member of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University
of Pennsylvania, and assistant professor in the Department
of Psychiatry at Penn’s School of Medicine. “While
previous research has shown that receptivity to tobacco
advertising is associated with higher levels of smoking
among adolescents, few studies have examined how variability
in personality traits among adolescents may make certain
teens more receptive to tobacco advertising.”
Audrain led a research team that interviewed 1,071 ninth-grade
adolescents at five public high schools. These students
completed a questionnaire that assessed smoking habits,
exposure to other smokers, receptivity to tobacco advertising,
and the novelty-seeking personality trait.
The researchers determined the level of receptivity
to tobacco advertising by measuring whether adolescents
could name an often-advertised cigarette brand, had
a favorite tobacco advertisement, and if they possessed
or were willing to use a tobacco industry promotional
item. Novelty-seeking was measured by the adolescents’
responses to questions regarding impulsive and sensation-seeking
behaviors.
Forty-four percent of the adolescents had moderate
to high levels of receptivity. The researchers found
that adolescents in this group were more likely to have
tried smoking and to be higher in the novelty-seeking
trait. Novelty-seeking adolescents, both smokers and
non-smokers, were twice as likely to be receptive to
tobacco advertising. As a result of this finding researchers
believe that novelty-seeking may be a key factor in
receptivity to tobacco advertising regardless of smoking
status and may put teens with this trait at a higher
risk for smoking initiation.
“The heightened receptivity to tobacco advertising
among youth high in novelty-seeking may be attributable
to their greater need for stimulation and rewarding
experiences,” said Audrain. “Tobacco industry
promotional campaigns, which often highlight stimulating
activities and adventurous behavior, appear to be designed
to appeal to this feature of novelty-seeking youth.”
This study indicates that in order to counter the influence
of tobacco-industry advertising, anti- tobacco advertising
campaigns may need to target youth high in novelty seeking.
Anti-tobacco advertising directed at novelty-seeking
adolescents should be dramatic as well as physically
and emotionally intense as these adolescents may have
stronger reactions to messages containing high levels
of stimulation.
This research, which appears in Health Communication
in an article titled “Which adolescents are most
receptive to tobacco industry marketing? Implications
for counter-advertising campaigns,” is part of
a four-year investigation Audrain and her colleagues
are conducting to explore the social, psychological
and genetic factors that influence adolescents’
decisions about smoking.
This research was funded by the National Cancer Institute
and the National Institute on Drug Abuse and was conducted
by the University of Pennsylvania/Georgetown University
Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center.
For
a printer friendly version of this release, click
here.
###
The Abramson Cancer Center
of the University of Pennsylvania was established in
1973 as a center of excellence in cancer research, patient
care, education and outreach. Today, the Abramson Cancer
Center ranks as one of the nation’s best in cancer
care, according to US News and World Report, and is
one of the top five in National Cancer Institute (NCI)
funding. It is one of only 39 NCI-designated comprehensive
cancer centers in the United States. Home to one of
the largest clinical and research programs in the world,
the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
has 275 active cancer researchers and 250 Penn physicians
involved in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
PENN Medicine is a $2.2
billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions
of medical education, biomedical research, and high-quality
patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University
of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765
as the nation's first medical school) and the University
of Pennsylvania Health System (created in 1993 as the
nation's first integrated academic health system).
Penn's School of Medicine is ranked
#2 in the nation for receipt of NIH research funds;
and ranked #4 in the nation in U.S. News & World Report's
most recent ranking of top research-oriented medical
schools. Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students,
the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its
superior education and training of the next generation
of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.
Penn Health System consists of four
hospitals (including its flagship Hospital of the University
of Pennsylvania, consistently rated one of the nation's
"Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report),
a faculty practice plan, a primary-care provider network,
three multispecialty satellite facilities, and home
health care and hospice.
|
