A little bit Rock & Roll: How small influences from high-risk subcultures increase youth tobacco-use

Background: Social influence is highly predictive of adolescent risk behaviors. “Peer crowds” are macro-level subcultures (e.g.: preppy, hip hop) that adolescents identify with and have been used to measure social influence among teens. While most research has focused on a teen’s primary peer crowd, secondary crowds (i.e. crowds that teens draw minority influence from) can help explain risk behavior adoption in low risk groups.

Objective: This study analyzes the impact of small amounts of influence from non-primary peer crowds on risk behaviors such as tobacco use.

Methods: Data from the 2012 Virginia Peer Crowds Study included 3,537 high school students. The I-Base Survey was used to measure peer crowd influence, and each student received scores (from -12 to 12) for each measured peer crowd: Hip Hop, Preppy, Mainstream, Alternative and Country. Past 30-day tobacco use was also recorded.

Results: Teens with primary influences from the Preppy and Mainstream crowds were found to be significantly less likely to use tobacco, while Hip Hop, Country and Alternative teens were significantly more likely to use. Preppy and Mainstream teens with secondary influences from Hip Hop, Country, or Alternative had significantly higher tobacco use risk than those without these secondary peer crowd influences.

Implications: High-risk peer crowds negatively impact more teens than initially anticipated. This study adds evidence to the need for peer-crowd-targeted health communications that reduce risk behaviors within high-risk peer crowds and highlights the broader benefits of effective peer-crowd-targeted campaigns.