Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #117795

Pamela Ling, MD, MPH, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California San Francisco, Box 0320, San Francisco, CA 94143, 415/514-1492, pling@medicine.ucsf.edu, Torsten B. Neilands, PhD, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, 74 New Montgomery Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94105, and Stanton A. Glantz, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, Center for Tobacco Control Research & Education, 530 Parnassus Ave., Suite 366, San Francisco, CA 94143-1390.

Background: Tobacco industry market research utilizes psychological measures "psychographics" to define marketing targets. We examined the relationship between psychographics adapted from tobacco marketing surveys and young adult (age 18-29) smoking. Methods: Analysis of data from the 2002 California Tobacco Survey, a population based survey including 9413 young adults (58.3% response rate). Results: Exploratory factor analyses of 22 personal attitude items, 13 activities, 8 items on tobacco control issues, and 14 social group descriptors were performed. Invariance testing comparing factor structures between males/females and ever smokers/never smokers revealed two invariant tobacco control issue factors and four invariant social group factors. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, one tobacco issues factor (involvement in tobacco control issues) was protective against ever smoking(OR=0.27), and current smoking (OR=0.16). One social group factor (rebellious) was significantly associated with ever smoking (OR=1.39), but not current smoking. Older age (OR=1.83, 2.00 for older categories), exposure to smokers (OR=1.83), less education, male gender (OR=1.35), depression (OR=1.42), white ethnicity, and receptivity to tobacco advertising(OR=1.41, 2.72, 3.31) for increasing receptiveness index) were also significantly associated with ever smoking. Conclusions: Psychographic measures of personal attitudes and activities differ significantly in factor structure by gender and smoking status and should be used to describe subgroups. Invariant psychological factors associated with smoking uptake (rebellious friends, depression) or against smoking (involvement with tobacco issues) among teens are also associated with young adult smoking. Young adults appear to be vulnerable to both peer influence and tobacco advertising; involvement with tobacco control issues appears to be protective.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand psychographics and recognize the importance of psychographic factors in pro-tobacco marketing
• Describe the use of psychographic measures in public health survey research
• Identify two psychographic factors associated with young adult smoking in California

Keywords: Tobacco Control, Marketing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.