This document discusses social smoking among young adults aged 18-25. It defines social smoking as non-daily smoking driven by social influences. Three-quarters of social smokers are at high risk of becoming regular smokers, and over half of regular smokers started as social smokers. Previous public health campaigns have aimed to educate social smokers that they are still smokers and at risk of addiction. This document proposes a new public health campaign using television, posters, bar coasters, social media and cigarette package warnings to educate young adult social smokers about the health risks and addiction risks of social smoking.

1. ‘There’s Nothing Social
About Smoking’
By Abhijith, Carly, Gerard & MD

2. Understanding the Problem
• “Social Smoking” is a
pattern of non-daily
smoking driven extrinsically
by an individual’s social
influence.
• Youngsters from 18-25 are
the most involved in social
smoking
(Shiffman et al.,
2015).
75% of Social smokers are at
high risk to become regular
smokers
55% of the regular
smokers started as social
smokers.

3. Motivations behind social smoking
• Social activity than nicotine
dependence
• Peer effect – Young adults
who have 2 friends that
smoke are 6 times likely to
become a social smoker than
if they had no friends smoke.
• Stimulus controlled
environmental cues that urge
people to smoke
• Influence of alcohol
• Unaware of the health risks of
social smoking

4. Current Challenges
• Social smokers don’t consider themselves as smokers. In our survey we
found a staggering 87.34% don’t consider themselves as smokers, even
though they engage themselves in social smoking
• 83% less likely to quit than regular smokers and believe they are not
prone to harmful smoking-related disease.
• No comparative study on the health consequences of Social smoking has
been done.
• No upstream or downstream measures taken against social smoking.

5. Previous attempts at behavior
modification
• Quit the Denial – Ontario Ministry of Health
and Long-Term Care (2013)
https://youtu.be/C8JoQ7_aYPw?t=3s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8JoQ7_aY
Pw&feature=youtu.be&t=2m25s

6. Previous attempts at behavior
modification
• It’s a Trap! – American Legacy Foundation
(2015)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAJ4MlXt
F6A

7. ‘There’s Nothing Social About
Smoking’ Campaign
Educate and raise awareness about social
smoking to the target market.
Objectives:
• To decrease the amount of people
aged 16-30 who smoke socially
• To increase the education about
the health effects and addiction
trends to the target market
• To change the way people in the
target market perceive social
smoking

8. Target Audience
Young adults aged 18-30 are
significantly more likely to be
occasional smokers rather
then daily smokers compared
with older adults. (Beiner & Albers, 2004,
p.330)
Study in the US found 51% of
2401 student smokers were
social smokers (Moran, 2004)
We chose the pre
contemplative stage because
both of our interview
respondents had not even
considered stopping social
smoking.
Social smokers aged
between 16-30 in the pre-
contemplation stage of
change

10. Quantitative Data

11. Qualitative Research
“I don’t think I will get addicted. I know myself and I know that I
wouldn’t”. (Laura, 29, Social Smoker)
“When you are out drinking and being with friends, you are not
really thinking about how smoking affects your health”. (Laura,
29, Social Smoker)
“I wouldn’t consider myself to be a smoker because I only do it
occasionally in social situations or when I got out drinking with
friends”. (Caitlyn, 19, Social Smoker)
“It’s just a fun thing to do when you’re with your friends having
a few drinks and hanging out”. (Caitlyn, 19, Social Smoker)

12. Strategies
• Television Commercials
• Posters
• Bar Coasters
• Letter Box Pamphlets
Example of our coasters
BACK
FRONTExample of a poster

13. Social Media
• Prime target group of 18-25 who are most prone or engaged in
social smoking.
• Reaching more people through Facebook advertising, through
demographics and interests and redirecting them to our Website.
• Constantly engaging the target audience through comments,
answering queries.
• Primary motive of creating awareness that social smoking is
smoking.

14. Examples
of social
media
content

15. Cigarette Package Warnings
• A person who smokes
one cigarette a day
confronts the warning
image 7000 to 8000
time a year.
• Cigarette packaging
becomes less attractive,
less attention grabbing
and likely to promote
cessation
• Graphical warning
packages reduce
cravings in an individual

16. Recommendations
• More research on social smoking in Australia
• More upstream approaches towards reducing
social smoking in Australia

17. References