An application of the Integrative Model of Behavior Prediction theory to electronic cigarette prevention: Identifying promising message strategies

Abstract

This study examined the role of the Integrative Model of Behavior Prediction theory in electronic cigarette prevention of youths. Smoking has been always considered to impose serious harmful effects on individuals state of health. Besides individual level of loss, smoking a tobacco is one of social problems as well. This study focused on a new type of cigarette recently threatens the well-being of public health even further: electronic cigarettes. After the electronic cigarette is introduced to the public and within a while, it extensively gains popularity. Although there are still no concrete scientific evidences on the long term effects of electronic cigarette and its safety, the population of users keeps growing so there is a great need of studying about this new device. This study targeted to high school students because young students are certainly more vulnerable to electronic cigarettes than any other groups. The media has already spotted wide interest among youths and blamed the government for loose regulations of this new potential hazardous material especially for young ones. To adjust this phenomenon, communication research is important. Students are educated smoking prevention mostly via public health campaigns and this reconfirms the need of this study in the scope of communication because the key success of public health campaigns is to change behavior. To enable that, the delivery of a message is critical and a message is certainly the core concept of communication studies. Message strategy indicates what messages should be about, so it is more like an overarching idea of message. It is the process of choosing message content. It differs to the message itself which is the final outcome of campaign development. This study, therefore, concentrated on the content of public health campaign by applying the Integrative Model of Behavior Prediction theory which is the latest version of behavioral change theory. This study was processed by two research phases. An elicitation study (phase 1) and followed by a population survey (phase 2) were conducted respectively. In the phase 1, participants were given an open-ended questionnaire to classify prominent behavioral beliefs. The questions are about underlying beliefs of three cognitions (attitudes, perceived social norms, and self-efficacy) which assumed directly to affect to behavioral intention. Phase 2 was a closed-ended questionnaire survey based on both data collected in the preceding phase (indirect measures) and preexisting survey questions (direct measures) to measure each components of the theory. As a result, the study showed significant association between three cognitive constructs and behavioral intention. Among three cognitional beliefs, perceived social normative beliefs are the most significantly correlated to electronic cigarettes smoking intention. Based on these results, the study explored efficient message strategies in relation to the Integrative Model of Behavior Prediction theory in the context of electronic cigarette usage by young students.