Dataset Information

Positive associations between consumerism and tobacco and alcohol use in early adolescence: cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There is concern about the negative impact of modern consumer culture on young people's mental health, but very few studies have investigated associations with substance use. In those which have, positive associations have been attributed to attempts to satisfy the unmet needs of more materialistic individuals.

Objectives

This study examines associations between different dimensions of consumerism and tobacco and alcohol use among Scottish early adolescents.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting and participants

2937 (92% of those eligible) secondary school pupils (ages 12-14) completed questionnaires in examination conditions. Analyses were restricted to those with complete data on all relevant variables (N=2736 smoking; N=2737 drinking).

Measures

Dependent variables comprised ever smoking and current drinking. Measures of consumerism comprised number of 'premium' (range 0-7) and 'standard' (range 0-5) material possessions and three Consumer Involvement subscales, 'dissatisfaction', 'consumer orientation' and 'brand awareness' (each range 3-12). Analyses also included school-year group and family affluence.

Results

Ever smoking and current drinking were both more prevalent among adolescents with more 'premium' and 'standard' material possessions, greater consumer 'dissatisfaction' and 'brand awareness' (mutually adjusted analyses including school-year group and family affluence). The strongest relationships occurred for 'brand awareness': for each unit increase in 'brand awareness' the ORs (95% CI) of ever smoking were 1.17 (1.08 to 1.26) and 1.23 (1.14 to 1.33) in males and females, respectively; and those for drinking were 1.15 (1.08 to 1.23) and 1.21 (1.13 to 1.30). 'Brand awareness' had an equal or stronger relationship with both smoking and drinking than did family affluence.

Conclusions

These results suggest aassociations between consumerism and both smoking and drinking might arise because adolescent identities incorporate both consumerism and substance use, or be the result of promotion (indirectly in the case of tobacco) linking consumerist or aspirational lifestyles with these behaviours.

SUBMITTER: Sweeting HN

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3467633 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Positive associations between consumerism and tobacco and alcohol use in early adolescence: cross-sectional study.

Sweeting Helen N HN Bhaskar Abita A Hunt Kate K

BMJ open 20120924 5

<h4>Background</h4>There is concern about the negative impact of modern consumer culture on young people's mental health, but very few studies have investigated associations with substance use. In those which have, positive associations have been attributed to attempts to satisfy the unmet needs of more materialistic individuals.<h4>Objectives</h4>This study examines associations between different dimensions of consumerism and tobacco and alcohol use among Scottish early adolescents.<h4>Design</ ...[more]

PMID: 23012331

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Dataset Information

Positive associations between consumerism and tobacco and alcohol use in early adolescence: cross-sectional study.

Background

Objectives

Design

Setting and participants

Measures

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Positive associations between consumerism and tobacco and alcohol use in early adolescence: cross-sectional study.

Similar Datasets

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