Abstract
Large numbers of adolescents smoke during school hours, despite the implementation of smoke-free school policies (SFSPs). Studies about SFSPs predominantly analyse smoking as individual behaviour, yet there is increasing recognition that smoking should be understood as social behaviour. We explored shared smoking patterns specifying where, when, and with whom, and social meanings about why groups of adolescents smoke in two Dutch schools that have implemented SFSPs. Surveys among adolescents were held to obtain contextual information about the schools. Four focus group discussions and fourteen individual interviews were held with adolescents to identify shared smoking patterns in each school. Two shared patterns were identified at a school where 17% of students smoked daily: Dependent smoking and Rebellious smoking. Both built on pro-smoking norms and underscored the benefits of smoking. Three shared patterns were identified at a school where 3% of students smoked daily: Social bonding smoking, Low-profile smoking and Smoking-friendly event smoking. These built on anti-smoking norms and helped smokers cope with negative social judgements related to smoking. We conclude that adolescent smoking during school hours is embedded in diverse shared smoking patterns. Future studies should develop more understanding about how to deal with adolescents’ shared smoking patterns that decrease the effectiveness of tobacco policies.
Highlights
Policy makers in many European countries have adopted legislation that compels secondary schools to implement smoke-free school policies (SFSPs)
Political support for SFSPs can be explained by evidence about the high proportion of smokers that have taken up smoking during adolescence [1], the influence of the secondary school environment on adolescents’ smoking uptake and continuation [2] and the widespread support for smoke-free measures [3,4]
We identified two shared smoking patterns that underscored the benefits of smoking during school hours: Dependent smoking and Rebellious smoking
Summary
Policy makers in many European countries have adopted legislation that compels secondary schools to implement smoke-free school policies (SFSPs). Political support for SFSPs can be explained by evidence about the high proportion of smokers that have taken up smoking during adolescence [1], the influence of the secondary school environment on adolescents’ smoking uptake and continuation [2] and the widespread support for smoke-free measures [3,4]. Contemporary studies assessing the impact of SFSPs on adolescent smoking behaviour present largely inconsistent results [5]. A key reason for this inconsistency could be that studies hardly take into account that schools involve “numerous, dynamic, highly interactive, learning and adaptive”. Public Health 2019, 16, 2100; doi:10.3390/ijerph16122100 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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