Smoker identity among social smokers: Theory-based approaches for anti-smoking interventions

A large number of college smokers refuse to self-identify as smokers, instead referring to themselves as social smokers. With little or no information on how social smokers perceive risks and levels of efficacy related to smoking cessation, designing effective anti-smoking campaigns may be problematic. Based on the theoretical underpinning of the Risk Perception Attitude Framework, we investigated the impact of perceived risks and self-efficacy on the intention to quit smoking among social smokers and compared the findings to those who self-identify as smokers (i.e. admitters) and non-smokers (i.e. deniers). An online survey was conducted targeting college students who had smoked in the past 30 days. Of the 414 total participants, 111 self-identified as social smokers. Results show that deniers were no more willing to quit than admitters albeit with a greater self-efficacy. Deniers also tended to underestimate the risks of smoking and possessed greater feelings of self-efficacy. Admitters, in contrast, were higher in perceived risk but lower in self-efficacy. In addition, the cognitive paths to quit smoking via perceived risks and assessment of self-efficacy were compared between deniers and admitters. The importance of considering smoking identity is discussed and practical implications for anti-smoking campaigns are provided.