Youth Consumption Research Articles

Consumption of Substances in Nightlife Settings: A Qualitative Approach in Young Andalusians (Spain).

Adolescence and youth are stages of exploration and experimentation, when the consumption of psychoactive substances for recreational or experimental purposes often begins. The general objective of this study was to explore youth consumption habits in nightlife settings and associated factors in Andalusia (Spain). To this end, we took into account young people’s perceptions about patterns of drug polyconsumption in nightlife settings and the perceptions and actions of health and teaching professionals towards this issue. We carried out a qualitative methodology with 24 in-depth interviews and 3 discussion groups with Andalusian girls and boys aged between 16 and 22 (n = 45) and 13 in-depth interviews with social agents (health and teaching professionals). We performed narrative discourse analysis and triangulation of identified categories and measured the units of analysis. The results show information relating to gender, age of initiation, most commonly consumed substances, motivation and effects, peer group pressure and how they obtained the substances, and the perceptions held and main activities carried out in the educational institutions and health centers.

Consuming Representations of Korean TV Dramas among Indonesian Muslim Youth

<p><em><span>This article dealt with Korean TV dramas consumption among Muslim youth in Pekanbaru. It aimed to undestand their interpretations on the television dramas. The values of being a Muslim was constantly under scrutiny by the image representation in Korean TV Dramas. As transnational cultural products, they were considered as reducing Islamic values for Muslim youth. Using ethnographic study, forty two informants were selected based on a purposive sampling technique in which they loved on consuming Korean TV dramas. This article found that Muslim youth were active audiences consuming and interpreting Korean TV dramas. This can be seen from two characteristics. The first is that Muslim youth consumption of Korean TV dramas was not dominantly done through television medium, but through their lapptop. As a result, their position as an active audiences or viewers was obvious. This was because the dramas to be watched were not interrupted by some advertisements. The audiences could also actively watch them without depending on the schedule decided by television stations. The second is that young Muslims watching Korean TV dramas did not accept some representations contradictory with their Islamic identity. However, some of Korean TV dramas were accepted due to their proximity with Islamic values.</span></em></p>

Designing youth consumption style in social media

Designing youth consumption style in social media

Structural Relationship between Mobile Advertisement Characteristics, Personal Characteristics, Purchasing Attitude and Purchasing Behavior -Focus on Youth Consumers-

Structural Relationship between Mobile Advertisement Characteristics, Personal Characteristics, Purchasing Attitude and Purchasing Behavior -Focus on Youth Consumers-

Youth Perception of Different Orthodontic Appliances.

PurposeTo explore youth perception of the esthetics of different orthodontic appliances measured using different concepts of esthetics.Patients and MethodsA questionnaire was answered by 194 youth participants (35.5% were 9–11 years old; 32.5% were 12–14 years old; and 32% were 15–17 years old). Participants evaluated and compared the attractiveness of images of different orthodontic appliances using a Likert scale. They indicated the acceptability of the appliances with a yes/no answer. They then chose which appliance to rank as their most preferred.ResultsThe highest median attractiveness rating was for clear aligners (Mdn= 8, IQR= 4.25), followed by lingual and standard ceramic brackets (Mdn= 7, IQR= 6). The lowest median attractiveness rating was for hybrid brackets (Mdn= 4, IQR= 4). Clear aligners were significantly more attractive than all other orthodontic appliances (P<0.0001). Clear aligners also had the highest percentage of acceptability (80%), while hybrid brackets scored the lowest (42%). Ceramic and metal brackets fell in the middle range of attractiveness and acceptability but were chosen by male middle schoolers as their preferred appliances. Clear aligners were ranked the highest by this cohort.ConclusionThis study demonstrates the widespread preference and acceptability of clear aligners among the youth. Other orthodontic appliances were acceptable but to a lesser extent than clear aligners. This study informs orthodontists about their youth consumers’ behavior and may help inform treatment discussions in the orthodontic clinic.

The effects of recreational cannabis legalization might depend upon the policy model.

The effects of recreational cannabis legalization might depend upon the policy model.

The Effect Of Packaging Design Elements On Youth Purchase Intention Of Junk Food

This research provides new knowledge on the purchase intention towards junk foods. The main purpose of this research study is to examine the packaging design elements as a determinant factor to purchase junk food among youth consumer that might be one of the most essential variable in marketing field. One of the aims of this study is covering the shortcomings of previous studies that didn't observe main factors that influence the consumer purchase intention toward junk food. The various packaging elements (packaging colour, packaging graphic, packaging size, packaging material and packaging label) have been conceptualized into integrated frameworks to investigate the factors that influence consumer purchase intention toward junk food products amongst youth. Data were collected from sample size of 322 respondents mainly degree students from the faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism, and Faculty of Engineering in Universiti Teknologi MARA, Penang. This study is further validated through a survey method used of questionnaire distribution. The data were further process and analyse using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. The findings revealed that only four elements which are packaging colour, packaging graphic, packaging size and packaging label are positively significant with consumer purchase intention toward junk food while the packaging material was not significant with the consumer purchase intention toward junk food.

A Media Literacy-Based Nutrition Program Fosters Parent–Child Food Marketing Discussions, Improves Home Food Environment, and Youth Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables

Background: Media use is a known contributor to childhood obesity, but encouraging reductions in screen use only partially eliminates media influence. We tested a family-centered, media literacy-oriented intervention to empower parents and children 9-14 years to skillfully use media to reduce marketing influences, enhance nutrition knowledge, improve the selection of foods in the home environment, and improve fruit and vegetable consumption. Methods: A community-based, 6-U program included separate parent and youth (ages 9-14 years) sessions, each of which was followed by a session together in which skills from the individual sessions were reinforced. A pretest to posttest field test with control groups (N = 189, parent-child dyads) tested the intervention's efficacy. Results: Standardized mean differences from the multiple analysis of covariance tests showed that the intervention group demonstrated improvements on parents' use of nutrition labels (0.29), the ratio of healthy to unhealthy food in the home environment (0.25), youth's fruit (0.30) and vegetable (0.25) consumption, parent and youth media literacy skills, and family communication dynamics about food. The largest effects found were for negative parental mediation (0.48) and parents' report of child-initiated discussion (0.47). Consistent but weaker results were revealed for Latinx families. Conclusions: This family-centered approach helped family members practice using media together to make better nutrition decisions without depending on the ability of parents to limit media use. It successfully addressed the often-negative impact of the media on behaviors that increase obesity risk while also cultivating the potential for media to provide useful information that can lead to behaviors that decrease obesity risk.

The harmonizing effect of Smart Snacks on the association between state snack laws and high school students' fruit and vegetable consumption, United States—2005–2017

Despite national guidelines recommending daily fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption, intake of FV among adolescents is low. Over the past 10–15 years, state and federal laws have reduced the availability of junk foods in schools. This study examined the association between state snack laws and high school (HS) student FV consumption. The overall sample included 99,785 HS students (outcome samples ranged from 96,209-97,328) included in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). National Cancer Institute Classification of Laws Associated with School Students' data for 2004–2016 were lagged on to 2005–2017 YRBS data. Separate analyses examined the state law-youth FV consumption relationship pre- and post-federal Smart Snacks standards (effective school year 2014–2015). Analyses were conducted between 2018 and 2020.Overall, state laws were associated with any vegetable, salad, and other vegetable consumption. The relationship between state laws and vegetable consumption primarily occurred pre-Smart Snacks. Pre-Smart Snacks, state laws were associated with higher odds of youth consumption of any vegetable, salad, carrots, and other vegetables (all compared to students in states without snack laws). The only association post-Smart Snacks was between strong state laws and salads.This study illustrates the important role that standards restricting the availability of junk foods in schools can have on increasing student vegetable consumption. Given current efforts to roll-back federal school meal standards, findings from this study illustrate how federal standards harmonized the patchwork of state laws that existed prior to Smart Snacks and the important role that consistent national standards can play in supporting student consumption of vegetables.

The sharing economy in a digital society: youth consumer behavior in Italy

Purpose This paper aims to explore the sharing economy in Italy, focusing on key socioeconomic characteristics. Design/methodology/approach Adopting an exploratory approach, it analyzes the answers of a questionnaire, created using Google Forms and administered via social networks and e-mails. To analyze the answers statistical tests and descriptive statistics were used. The survey reveals potential behavioral factors, which influence the participation propensity to share economic practices. Findings Results exhibit that the age of the consumer is an impactful participating factor of sharing economy, and therefore, it seems to be a discriminant. On the contrary, gender and annual income are insignificant determinants. Research limitations/implications The sample is unbalanced, the majority of the answers were provided by young people. Social implications The paper can give a picture of the role and the importance of the sharing economy in Italy. Motivated by its global economic growth that could reach in 2025 the value of €570bn, it contextualizes what drives people to collaborate and share tangible and intangible assets. Originality/value It aims to discover how this digital trend shapes the social fabric of the global economy, providing a broader reflection in terms of future sustainability developments. Ongoing dynamic changes on digital consumer preferences toward sharing products and services provide valuable evidence on their future commercial behavior.

The Association Between Early Drinking and Dependence Varies by Drinking Context.

Evidence regarding the association between early drinking (ED) and later dependence is controversial. It has been alternately hypothesized that ED either plays a causal role in the development of dependence or that it is an early marker of increased psychosocial vulnerabilities. Despite a clear rationale for delaying youth consumption, it is important to discern this relationship. However, most epidemiological evidence comes from individual studies and high-income countries. If there is a causal link between ED and dependence, an association at the aggregate level would be expected. Furthermore, if the link is due to biological mechanisms, the association should be rather invariable regardless of the drinking context, while if the association is due to psychosocial factors, a wider variability is to be expected. We explored whether the association between ED and dependence varied across countries clustered by their shared contextual drinking characteristics. We used data from 169 countries from the Global Information System on Alcohol and Health of the World Health Organization: ED, alcohol dependence, heavy episodic drinking (HED), actual drinkers, and alcohol policy. To cluster countries by their shared drinking characteristics (prevalences of HED and actual drinkers, and alcohol policy), we used, sequentially, two multivariate data reduction techniques: a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and a hierarchic classification. To estimate the association between ED and alcohol dependence, beta regressions were performed, and then adjusted by country income-level and repeated by gender. The results indicated four country clusters: primarily abstainers (class 1), low drinking countries (class 2), high drinking countries (class 3), and very high drinking countries (class 4). Positive relationships between ED and alcohol dependence were found for all the countries in the world and for those in classes 1 and 2. No significant relationships were found for class 3 or class 4. These results were similar for males, but not for females, where no significant relationships were found after adjusting for income level. The association between ED and dependence varies according to the drinking context. Our findings either suggest that the ED–dependence association may be due to individual or environmental vulnerabilities that promote consumption outside cultural norms or that, if there is a causal link between ED and dependence, it is strongly moderated by psychosocial characteristics.

Effects of Family-Centered Media Literacy Training on Family Nutrition Outcomes

Parents frustrated about food marketing influences need media management skills to challenge marketing messages and interpret factual content. We tested a media literacy-based, family-centered intervention to reduce effects of appealing, but unrealistic, food marketing. We hypothesized that participation would facilitate family discussion that improves the home dietary environment and increases youth consumption of fruits and vegetables. Parent-child (age 9-14) dyads (N = 189) participated in a matched-group, pretest/posttest field experiment testing a 6-week media literacy-based curriculum. Hypothesis testing employed multiple analysis of covariance and Bayesian multigroup structural equation modeling (MGSEM). Improved nutrition outcomes for parents included talk with youth about food nutrition labels (d = 0.343) and ratio of healthy to unhealthy food in home (d = 0.232); youth improved talk with parent about food nutrition labels (d = 0.211), vegetables eaten yesterday (d = 0.264), and fruit eaten yesterday (d = 1.386). Bayesian MGSEM revealed that in the intervention group, 12 of 17 tested paths were significant (p < .05), compared with only 4 in the control group, with average effect size magnitudes of 0.236 and 0.113, respectively. Media literacy education can empower parents and improve youths' critical thinking to reduce negative effects of food marketing on families and improve use of media to obtain nutrition information that aids dietary choices. This approach reduces the risk for reactance from youth who like media and resist limiting media use, while helping families use media together to make better nutrition decisions.

Patterns of alcohol consumption in 16 cohorts of Australian young adults aged 15-24 between 2001 and 2016.

Repeated cross-sectional surveys have identified substantial declines in adolescent drinking in Australia and some other countries in recent years. There is debate about whether these declines will be maintained as the cohort ages. This study modelled alcohol consumption over time to check for cohort effects reflecting a decrease in youth consumption, and then used this model to predict how decreases in youth drinking will be sustained through to adulthood. Longitudinal study using data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey from 2001 to 2016. Piecewise latent growth models were estimated to assess consumption trajectories for each birth cohort from ages 15-18 and 18-24years. Australia. This study focused on 5320 (51.9% female) respondents aged between 15 and 22 in wave 1 (2001) to those aged between 17 and 24 in wave 16 (2016). Annual volume of alcohol consumption was calculated as the product of the quantity per occasion and the frequency of drinking expanded to represent drinking occasions per year. The model with best fit suggested that consumption increased rapidly [b=0.667, standard error (SE)=0.046, P<0.001] until the legal drinking age of 18 and then plateaued (b=-0.027, SE=0.016, P=0.088). More recent cohorts start with significantly lower levels of consumption (b=-0.145, SE=0.010; P<0.001) but increase at a faster rate (b=0.022, SE=0.003, P<0.001) between 15 and 18; however, not enough to catch up to earlier cohorts. Recent decreases in adolescent drinking in Australia may, at least in part, be attributed to lower consumption in recent cohorts of younger drinkers. Results indicate that this group may continue to drink less than previous cohorts as they age into their twenties.

The effect of religiosity on luxury goods: The case of Chilean youths

AbstractReligion has always rejected the concept of materialism and urged people to live in simplicity and moderation. Nonetheless, reality reveals a different phenomenon. Studies on religion and materialism have found inconsistent results. We examine the effect of religion on materialism and affective attitudes towards luxury goods and the mediating effect of materialism on affective attitude towards luxury goods. We propose the idea that many religious people reject the concept of materialism, but they consider luxury goods consumption compatible with their religious beliefs. 355 university students show that youth consumers with high intrinsic religiosity possess an affective attitude towards luxury goods. The results show that consumers perceived materialism and luxury goods as two separate constructs. Religious consumers reject the concept of materialism as an attachment to worldly possessions, but they maintain their emotional affection towards luxury goods. The results have several implications for both business and religious leaders. First, from a business perspective, there are no significant differences between religious and nonreligious youth consumers, especially in their acceptance of luxury goods. Simply put, religious youth consumers love God, but they also love Gucci (i.e., luxury goods). On the other hand, if religious leaders are teaching their congregations to reject materialism, they may need to shift the focus of their teaching from materialism to the role of luxury goods in their lives and how the purchase and ownership of luxury items may not reflect the true values of their beliefs.

The Influence of Hedonic and Utilitarian Shopping Value Towards Consumer Behavioral Intention Among Youth Mall Shoppers

In the past decade, considerable amount of researches investigated the influence of hedonic and utilitarian shopping values on consumer behavioral intention. Accordingly, this has driven the current study to achieve its objective which is to determine the influence of hedonic and utilitarian shopping values on consumer consumer behavioral intention among youth in Malaysia. Embarking on the quantitative methodology, a survey is conducted among 469 university students who enrolled to a compulsory university course. The results showed that hedonic and utilitarian shopping values had positive influence on the youth consumer behavioral intention. This implies that shopping mall developers should consider hedonic and utilitarian preferences in terms of the design, selection of stores and functionality in creating a shopping mall particularly in serving youth market segment.

The relationship between nutrition reading and label use and nutrition knowledge amongst a sample of rural youth studying at a university in South Africa.

BackgroundWithin rural communities, quests for understanding consumer behaviour patterns become key, especially given the challenges that exist in such communities. Furthermore, youth consumers are an important cohort in rural communities in South Africa. Yet little empirical work has been conducted in studying their consumptive habits (usually in favour of youths in urban areas).AimThis study sought to measure the relationship between nutrition label use and nutrition knowledge amongst a sample of rural youth. This also included ascertaining the roles of demographic variables such as (1) gender and (2) and the number of years in tertiary education in this relationship.SettingThe study was located within a South African rural context using a sample of rural youths.MethodA quantitative study was utilised by means of a self-administered questionnaire, involving 150 youths residing in a rural community located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Inferential statistical analysis was conducted using correlation tests, analysis of variance and linear regression.ResultsThree main findings emerged. Firstly, rural youth consumers’ nutrition label use had no significant relationship with nutrition knowledge. Secondly, no significant difference existed by gender concerning nutrition knowledge. Finally, the level of education amongst the rural youth consumers had no relationship with aspects of nutrition knowledge.ConclusionBased on the findings, recommendations are made not only for theory and practice but also for policy in relation to both the rural context and for optimal health.

“MISINFODEMICS”— UNPACKING THE CORE NARRATIVES OF MULTINATIONAL DRINK COMPANIES’ ONLINE MARKETING CAMPAIGNS AIMED AT YOUNG PEOPLE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Multinational food and drink companies have increased their social media marketing budget and efforts and some have been rewarded with increased youth consumption of highly refined snack foods and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) even as overall consumption of SSBs, in many more developed countries, is falling. (Brand-Miller &amp; Barclay, 2017; Chaloupka, Powell, &amp; Warner, 2019). This strategy seems to be working particularly well in Africa. But at the same time, multinational companies are also waging more existential battles against a growing public awareness of the role their products play in epidemics of overweight and obesity (Du, Tugendhaft, Erzse, &amp; Hofman, 2018; Nestle, 2018). This paper explores how ‘Big Food’ multinationals has tried to frame these debates around issues of ‘energy balance’ and highlight SSB companies’ role in promoting the exercise side of their ‘energy balance’ frame. (Ruskin, Stuckler, Serôdio, Barlow, &amp; McKee, 2018, Nestle, 2018). This messaging, this paper argues, propagates misinformation, and is implicated in the current epidemic of poor nutrition in both developing (and developed) countries. Using both thematic content analysis, augmented with audience reception study through focus groups sessions, this paper explores how these companies’ social media marketing combines with their more traditional marketing channels to simultaneously sell product *and* defend their products right to be sold untaxed and unrestricted. The paper explores how these messages resonate with young adults in Nigeria and South Africa, and finds that the SSB companies' overall campaigns and particularly the social media components, are effective in countering public health messaging.

A Pilot Digital Intervention Targeting Loneliness in Youth Mental Health.

Background: Loneliness is an emerging issue for young people, but yet many interventions to address loneliness in this group focus on providing social opportunities. While these sorts of interventions may appear to increase social connections, loneliness is more related to quality rather than quantity of social relationships. Thus, interventions addressing loneliness should focus on maximizing the quality of current relationships. Together with youth consumers both with mental ill health and those without, we developed a digital smartphone application (app) called +Connect. The 6-week program delivers positive psychology content designed to improve relationship quality. We tested the acceptability, feasibility, and safety of the program in lonely young people with or without a mental health diagnosis of social anxiety disorder. We used a mixed method study design to triangulate pilot quantitative and qualitative data in young people with and without social anxiety disorder (SAD). Method: Nine participants with a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (M age = 21.00; SD = 1.41) and 11 participants with no mental health conditions (M age = 20.36; SD = 2.16) completed the +Connect digital intervention. Results: Those with social anxiety disorder reported less acceptable ratings on outcomes. Feasibility ratings, measured by uptake and app completion, met a priori threshold criteria in both groups. Those with social anxiety disorder yielded more attrition, with almost double the attrition rate compared with those without the disorder. There were no safety issues elicited during the pilot study. In terms of outcomes, exploratory analyses indicated that the app itself is likely to be beneficial rather than cause harm. Our qualitative data indicated both groups reported no negative outcomes and noted that positive outcomes were driven by three processes: reflection, learning, and real-life application. Further exploratory data on usability indicated room for improvement in terms of giving more support for different components of the app (i.e., challenges). Conclusion: The pilot findings of this proof-of-concept app indicates some promise in terms of a second iterative version of +Connect.

Prevalence and the frequency of psychoactive substance consumption of youth in educational institutions – differences with regards to the type of institution and knowledge about psychoactive substances

Studies confirm that adolescents experiment with the use of psychoactive substances during their growth. The main motivational processes are related to their desire to behave in accordance with social norms, an identity of individuality, to escape from discomfort and self-regulation. Attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge about psychoactive substances have been linked with substance use behaviour, but showed weak to moderate correlation. The main goal of this study was to gain insight into the frequency of psychoactive substances consumption of young men with behavioural problems placed in educational institutions, while the specific objectives were to explore the differences in the frequency of substance use with regard to the type of institution as well as the level of knowledge about psychoactive substances A total of N=74 young men placed in the justice system institutions (39.2%) and social welfare institutions (60.8%) participated in the study. The age of the participants ranges from 14 to 21 years of age (Mage=16.90, SDage=1,627). In addition to general socio-demographic data, the instrument measured knowledge about psychoactive substances, as well as the lifetime and past-year prevalence and the frequency of consumption. The results show a somewhat more frequent psychoactive substances use among young men institutionalized within the justice system, but also among participants with a higher level of knowledge of psychoactive substances. It is important to emphasize that the effects of differences are low to moderate. The results are interpreted in the context of other domestic and foreign prevalence studies and within the perspective of the importance of knowledge in creating interventions for young people in the area of the prevention of psychoactive substances use.

A influência publicitária no consumo de marcas de vestuário e de calçado em contexto juvenil

O objetivo do presente artigo é conhecer qual a influência que a publicidade poderá exercer no processo de consumo juvenil de marcas de vestuário e de calçado. Para o efeito, aplicou-se um inquérito por questionário a estudantes do 9º ano de escolaridade de três estabelecimentos de ensino de Cascais. Tendo em conta as perceções da população em estudo, constatou-se que a publicidade é reconhecida enquanto uma fonte meramente informativa e não persuasiva. Não obstante, poderá estar em causa o não reconhecimento da influência publicitária. Detetou-se ainda uma vincada relação feminina estabelecida com o discurso publicitário.