Youth smokers fired up to quit

Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Youth smokers fired up to quit

Massey University’s ‘It’s My Life’ smokefree campaign proves that young people are most responsive to messages created by their peers, says project leader Associate Professor Elspeth Tilley.

One year on from the ‘It’s My Life’ competition, which asked young New Zealanders to create a poster, video or app to inspire their peers to support a smokefree New Zealand, the impact of the campaign has been measured by Massey researchers.

Over 7000 Massey University students were surveyed before the campaign started and nearly 5000 students were surveyed afterwards to see if attitudes to smoking had changed. The results were clear – the desire to quit smoking increased, while tolerance of the tobacco industry decreased.

Dr Tilley says the campaign’s success was due to the fact that it was created by youth, for youth. Massey University design and communication students were recruited to design the ‘It’s My Life’ campaign and website, promote the competition and run a series of Smokefree Summits.

“The innovative difference of our campaign was that young people, themselves, designed and drove it, which has never been tried in New Zealand before,” she says.

In the baseline survey, just under 60 per cent of people who smoked more than five cigarettes in the preceding fortnight said they wished they could quit. Fifteen months later that figure had risen to over 65 per cent.

Within the ‘It’s My Life’ target age group (16-24 year olds) there was an even more pronounced increase in the desire to quit – from 50.2 per cent to 58.4 per cent. The Wellington Campus Health Service also experienced a significant spike in smoking cessation enquiries during the quarter that coincided with the campus’ Smokefree Summit.

The other statistically significant result, Dr Tilley says, was the change in attitudes towards the tobacco industry. The baseline survey found that under 43 per cent of respondents thought tobacco companies should pay for the total health costs of smoking. When respondents were surveyed 15 months later, over 45 per cent thought they should pay.

“We were surprised at the relatively low awareness New Zealand youth had of the tobacco industry when we conducted our first survey, especially when compared to youth overseas,” Dr Tilley says. “But you can see that attitudes are changing, and increasing numbers of people are starting to attribute responsibility for the health effects of smoking to the companies that produce the product.”

Dr Tilley says the ethos of the ‘It’s My Life’ campaign was effective because it didn’t point the finger at smokers.

“I think these results absolutely vindicate the positive, supportive way the students chose to design the campaign,” she says. “They never blamed smokers for becoming addicted; they celebrated self-empowerment and made it clear that the choice to say ‘no’ to smoking is about being assertive, positive and in control of your own life.

“That made it quite distinct from messaging that preaches death and gloom, and I think the young people who created that difference should be extremely proud.”
Dr Tilley hopes the work of Massey’s design and communication students will be just the beginning.

“Now that we’ve tested the idea of youth-led social change with Massey students and seen how effective it can be, the next stage is to encourage other young New Zealanders to become part of the global youth smokefree movement.”

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