Social norms towards smoking and vaping and associations with product use among youth in England, Canada, and the US.

Introduction:
This text discusses a study on social norms towards smoking and vaping among youth in England, Canada, and the US. The study aims to assess differences in social norms towards smoking and vaping among youth across countries and smoking and vaping status. The study found that youth had more positive vaping than smoking norms, and English youth reported the most pro-smoking but least pro-vaping norms in adjusted models. Norms were associated with use, with some evidence of cross-product associations between norms and behaviors.

Key Points:

* The study used data from the 2017 ITC Youth Tobacco and Vaping Survey, with 10,280 youth aged 16-19 from England, Canada, and the US.
* Prevalence of friend smoking, friend vaping, peer approval of smoking, and peer approval of vaping were estimated.
* Adjusted logistic regression models were used to assess associations between country, smoking status, vaping status, and covariates.
* Friend smoking, peer approval of smoking, and friend vaping were more common among smokers and vapers.
* Peer approval of vaping was more common among vapers but less common among smokers.
* English youth reported the most pro-smoking but least pro-vaping norms in adjusted models.
* Norms towards both products were associated with use, with some evidence of cross-product associations between norms and behaviors.

Main Message:
The study found that social norms towards smoking and vaping differ among youth in England, Canada, and the US. The findings suggest that English youth report more pro-smoking but less pro-vaping norms, which is unexpected given country differences in regulatory environments. Norms towards both products were associated with use, indicating the potential influence of social norms on smoking and vaping behavior among youth. The study highlights the need for further research on cross-product associations between norms and behaviors, as well as the potential impact of regulatory environments on social norms.

East KA, Hitchman SC, McNeill A, Thrasher JF, Hammond D. Social norms towards smoking and vaping and associations with product use among youth in England, Canada, and the US. Drug and alcohol dependence. 2019;205:107635. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.107635