Learning Objectives: Define reasonable expectations and outcomes of youth tobacco control activities, for both participants and their noninvolved peers. Define individual and social processes that are involved in successful youth activities.
Abstract: Tobacco control projects involving or featuring youth are becoming increasingly popular. What can we reasonably expect as outcomes of these activities, for both participants and their noninvolved peers? What individual and social processes are involved? This presentation will examine these questions from the perspective of youth development theory. We will examine differing levels of youth participation and its potential effects on processes of tobacco-related social identity formation, young people’s responses to tobacco promotion, and the diffusion of tobacco-related norms among adolescent peer groups. One critical area in terms of theoretical applications is the influence of individual differences among youth in areas such as academic engagement, peer affiliation, involvement in problem behaviors, and psychosocial risk factors (e.g., smoking models within the family). These factors will influence the types of youth who are attracted to tobacco control projects as well as the effects of group participation. Concerns of project staff include how to appeal to a wide array of youth (i.e., not just the “adult pleasers”), and how to optimize the youths’ experiences in order to achieve a wide impact across a range of adolescent peer groups. The presentation’s overall emphasis will be on those aspects of youth participation that can promote both positive developmental growth and progress toward community-based goals for tobacco control.
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