Writing in the journal ‘Tobacco Control’, academics from the University of Otago interviewed 13 young adult “social smokers” between the age of 19 and 25, and found the majority supported extending anti-smoking legislation.
The researchers say that there has been an increase in “social smoking”, when people light up occasionally, even though the number of people smoking has dropped overall.
Participants in the study, entitled ‘Social smokers’ management of conflicted identities’, expressed the difficulty they faced in changing their identity to ‘non-smokers who smoke’. The research also identified alcohol as a catalyst for social smoking.
The academics said: “Introducing smoke-free outdoors bars could reduce social smoking by removing cues that stimulate this behaviour and changing the environment that facilitates it.
“Such a policy would eliminate the current intersection between smoke-free and smoking spaces and create a physical barrier that, for some, would make accessing the smoking zone too difficult.”
The research paper concluded: “Participants strongly supported extending the smoke-free areas outside bars, a measure that would help decouple their alcohol-fuelled behaviours from the identity to which they aspire.”
Related Forum comments