Perceptions of risk among college smokers: Relationships to smoking status

Abstract

Introduction: Previous research has suggested that college smokers and nonsmokers have differing perceptions of smoking risk. However, this research has not compared subgroups of college smokers, including never smokers, experimenters, “deniers” (i.e., students who smoke but do not identify as smokers), and self-identified smokers. To better understand perceived risk among these subgroups, the goals of the following study were to examine perceptions of risk within a sample of deniers, and determine whether perceived risk predicts intention to smoke. Method: Data were from a larger online survey assessing smoking behavior among 1904 students at a large Northeastern university. Participants answered questions about their perceptions of risk associated with various smoking behaviors and their expectations about their future smoking behavior. Results: Consistent with previous research, smokers and nonsmokers differed in their perception of short-term smoking risk. Deniers were only half as likely as self-identified smokers to believe a weekend smoker should be considered a “regular smoker,” and most students did not believe that their smoking would increase over the next 4 years. Deniers were less likely than self-identified smokers to believe they would smoke in the next 30 days. Discussion: These findings suggest that deniers represent an additional subgroup of college smokers who discount the risks of smoking. Furthermore, consideration of smoking subgroup may be warranted when delivering anti-tobacco messages designed to target risk perceptions.

• College students, smoking, risk perceptions