Social marketing to decrease smoking among young adult trendsetters in San Diego

Significance: Young adults (age 18-25) have disproportionately high smoking rates. “Psychographics” (attitudes, social groups, activities) used in commercial marketing can also be used to define targets for tobacco control interventions.

Objective: Evaluate the effects of a psychographically targeted social marketing intervention on smoking behavior among young adult trendsetters in San Diego.

Methods: We used venue date time sampling to recruit repeated cross-sectional samples of 1000 young adults attending bars in San Diego CA at baseline and 2 years follow up. We measured socio-cultural group affiliations, social concern, smoking attitudes, and cigarette use. Trendsetters were members of a single socio-cultural group with social concern scores in the highest quartile.

Results: Young adults reporting exposure to the campaign more frequently associated it with Trendsetters (47.3% versus 26.7% of those not exposed), liked it a lot (37% versus 1%), and recognized its stance against big corporations (60% versus 46.1%). We did not observe differences between the exposed and unexposed respondents in tobacco attitudes (tobacco industry denormalization or valuing a smokefree lifestyle) or smoking norms. The smoking prevalence in the entire sample was 55.9% at baseline and 53.7% at follow up. There was a trend towards decreased smoking among the Trendsetters, where the current smoking prevalence was 77.4% at baseline and 69.7% at follow up, and regular smoking was 47.7% at baseline and 44.3% at follow up.

Discussion: Psychographically targeted interventions in bars/clubs effectively reach high risk trendsetters. The intervention was accepted and liked; we will continue to monitor smoking attitude and behavior trends.