Identifying at-Risk Teens: Peer Crowd Segmentation and Tobacco Use from a Statewide Representative Survey

Theoretical Background and research questions/hypothesis: Peer crowds, which are macro-level connections between peer groups that transcend geography, are known to influence clothing style and music preference, in addition to values and beliefs (Sussman et al., 2007). Peer crowds have also been shown to influence youth behaviors, including risky health behaviors such as tobacco use (Sussman et al., 2007; Lee et al. 2014; La Greca et al., 2001; Fuqua et al., 2012). As such, peer crowd segmentation may be a useful tool for identifying high-risk groups of youth in need of targeted health marketing strategies. The research described in this presentation was designed to measure peer crowd influence and tobacco risk among Virginia youth. The goal was to identify subgroups of high-risk teens in need of targeted marketing interventions.

Methods: Researchers utilized peer crowd segmentation in a weighted representative sample of Virginia high school youth (n = 3,537). Data were collected on behalf of the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth via a school-based survey. A photo-based segmentation tool was included to measure peer crowd influence. The tool featured 60 photos of teens from various peer crowds, and asked youth to select those who most and least fit with their group of friends as a means of measuring peer crowd influence. Tobacco use and intentions, tobacco-related values and attitudes, and social concern were also measured.

Results: The Preppy and Mainstream peer crowds were the most common, followed by Alternative, Country, and Hip Hop. Tobacco use and intentions were highest among youth influenced by Hip Hop, Alternative, and Country peer crowds, with the highest risk associated with Hip Hop. While youth influenced by these three peer crowds made up about half of the full sample, they accounted for two-thirds of tobacco users. Participants influenced by the Alternative peer crowd had the highest rate of cigarette use (30%), Hip Hop the highest rate of cigarillo use (37%), and Country the highest rate of smokeless tobacco use (26%). Youth influenced by high-risk peer crowds, especially Hip Hop, perceived tobacco use as being common among friends, expressed greater social concern, and placed lower value on anti-tobacco statements.

Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the effectiveness of peer crowd segmentation in identifying high-risk youth most in need of tobacco interventions. In Virginia, although the Hip Hop, Alternative, and Country peer crowds are relatively smaller than Preppy and Mainstream, they are the highest risk groups for youth tobacco use, and influence from these peer crowds accounts for the bulk of youth tobacco use.

Implications for research and/or practice: Peer crowd influence can be used to identify high-risk subgroups of youth. Measurement of this social construct presents a unique opportunity to reduce tobacco use disparities by targeting interventions to the most at-risk teens. Findings from this research indicate that the Alternative, Country, and especially Hip Hop peer crowds are most in need of targeted tobacco prevention marketing efforts. Further research to identify peer crowd values and beliefs related to tobacco use can assist in the development of effective marketing strategies for these at-risk groups.