Introduction
Alcohol and tobacco abuse is a prevalent occurrence among college students. The discrepancy that exists between college students and the non-college counterparts on the abuse of the two drugs is huge. College environment among many factors predisposes this tendency (Alters and Schiff 65-70). Peer interaction also contributes to this tendency especially for the freshmen who would like to quickly adapt in to the new environment and find the niche. Peer involvement may influence the everyday life of the freshmen, which if not controlled will lead to indulgence in drug abuse. This paper would like to explore what has been neglected in many scores of social studies. This is the influence of advertisement and self-efficacy on the tendency to abuse the two drugs.
Although there are concerted efforts from the parents and government to fight off alcohol and tobacco use among the youths, a lot of investment in advertisement of the two drugs has a turnaround effect. Furthermore, television programs and several movies have scenes in which these drugs are abused v. Unlike in the past where advertisements were censored, legal drugs remain positive and thus, no call for criticism. On the other hand, young people end up with mixed messages regarding drug use and abuse. Advertisements have a huge toll on the likelihood of the abuse of the two drugs(Newman 36-42). Despite the use of illegal drugs, legalised drugs such as tobacco and alcohol act as the gateway for college students. This topic will help in deciphering the influence of advertisement and self-efficacy on abuse alcohol and tobacco (Turner and Hurley 76-86). Many researchers have avoided the two factors and thus, this topic ultimate for the review.
Tobacco and alcohol abuse are drugs with adverse effects on the health of a human being. Moreover, the influence of advertisement and self-efficacy of the two drugs on their abuse has been neglected by many people. Social identity theory has identified peer pressure as the major cause of drug abuse among the college students. The role of advertisement and self-efficacy cannot be undervalued. Furthermore, college students across the state have been involved in episodic drinking which is attributable to advertisements running in the media on the use of the two drugs. Advertisements influence alcohol and tobacco abuse among the college students because they get the urge to use the promotional item(Newman 36-42). These students also have their own favourite alcohol and tobacco advertisements. Alcohol advertisement influences the college students to be disposed to the idea of drinking. Thus, advertisement and self-efficacy are potential risk factors that influence tobacco and alcohol abuse.
This research is important since it will highlight the influence of advertisements on the abuse of the two drugs. Tobacco and alcohol sales are attributable to the heavy investment in advertisements, which make the product appear appealing to many students. College students are heavy users of mass media (Newman 36-42). Many college students spent a lot of time glued to the television to watch their favourite programs or even movie scenes. From this television and other mass media addiction, they immerse themselves to the drinking and smoking portrayals of the products in the advertisements(Bonnie and O’Connell 74-91). Some studies suggest that 77 per cent of programming contained at one time some reference to alcohol and tobacco smoking. These programs and the advertisements in the television portray drinking as a positive act rather than a negative one. This study will elucidate and be informative to the masses concerning alcohol and tobacco abuse because of vigorous advertisements.
Literature Review
With regard to abuse of alcohol and tobacco, advertisements play a crucial role in instigating their use among the college students. The portrayal of alcohol and tobacco abuse among the students is shown as the means of appearing mature. When this is broadcasted many college youths, develop the urge to use the product advertised on the television. The flamboyance in the advertisements illustrates the success of the drugs to improve the mood and self-efficacy in the user. One research that was conducted on the same topic indicates that the characters shown in the advertisements appear to be of a higher economic status, attractive and glamorous. Furthermore, drinking is associated with valued outcomes such as self-confidence in approaching a woman. Smoking on the other hand is depicted cool in the adverts with the characters displaying notable glamour. With this before the witnessing eyes of the college students, many are likely indulge in these tendencies. There is little research on the influence of adverts on drinking and smoking behaviour among the college students.
Correlation studies have found significant relationship between adverts and tobacco/alcohol-related beliefs. Most college students who smoke or drink more than their non-college counterparts have been exposed to television viewing. Flashy advertisements and their displays influence heavily on the use of these drugs(Turner and Hurley 76-86). These adverts influence the beliefs and counter beliefs of alcohol drinking and tobacco smoking. Many collage peers would agree that some of the acts in advertisement appear cool. As a risk factor, advert viewing will make the students either to buy the product advertised or a similar one of equal measure. Although most of the correlation studies suffer serious methodological and conceptual problems, one of these studies measures drinking portrayals and its influence on the college students(Turner and Hurley 76-86). Experimental studies have also addressed the influence of televised portrayals on drinking among the young college students. College students shown segments of their popular television series containing drinking and smoking expressed the desire to act in the same manner.
Theoretical Framework and Propositions
A variable is defined as a measurable or manipulated effect in an experiment. They provide the means through observation in an experiment can be made. They provide a platform for understanding the whole experiment. A presumed cause in an experiment is known as an independent variable while on the other hand the presumed effect is the dependent variable. Dependent variable is observed after the manipulation of the independent variable. For instance, the topic is about the influence of advertisements and self-efficacy on the consumption of alcohol and tobacco smoking (Bonnie and O’Connell 74-91). The influence of advertisements is the independent variable while its impact on smoking and alcohol smoking is the dependent variable. These variables are effective to the study question since they are helpful in showing the relationship between the two activities(Turner and Hurley 76-86). These variables implicate heavily on the study in showing the correlations that are attributable to the two factors under the study i.e. advertisement and influence on behavioural changes such as smoking and drinking.
Hypothesis
H1: The ban of advertisement reduces Tobacco and Alcohol consumption of college students.
Advertisements create positive alcohol expectancies among the college students. The effects of an advertisement have longer lingering effects on the minds of the college students. The role of advertisements and its lingering effect on alcohol and smoking cannot be underestimated(Alters and Schiff 65-70). Every alcohol and tobacco industry spends a considerable amount of money in adverts. Adverts form an important aspect of competition.
Counter advertising campaigns or bans will help in reduction of alcohol and tobacco abuse among the college students. For example, in Sweden, bans have been effected on both broadcast and print media. The behaviour of the college youth will reflect heavily on the duration of the censorship program, therefore, the bans should be longstanding (Goldman, Gayle,andFaden 66-75). The federal authority should mandate alcohol advertisement ban where the college is located.
H2: Tobacco and Alcohol advertisement promotes the usage of the substances among university students.
Advertisements running in the media often presents alcohol and tobacco use as fun, stress relieving and glamorous. Furthermore, it creates a society of pro-substance use, which bombards the minds of university students. Adverts on tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking are linked to increased use of the two substances.
Media is not limited to television and radios. Despite the ban of tobacco advertisements in the billboards and radio, most college students have unlimited access to the adverts on print advertisement and the internet. Curiosity as a factor plays a crucial role in the abuse of the two drugs. For instance, a college student who needs to understand the price of an alcohol brand will search for its advert. This will lead to high drinking incidences.
H3: Attitude towards adverting and environment and social culture has positive influence of alcohol consumption and tobacco usage on college student body.
Most adverts on alcohol and tobacco use bring the worth of a celebrity lifestyle. In fact, most companies use celebrities in their adverts. Apart from the media, college students are clouded with the same impressions whenever they visit a retail shop (Alters and Schiff65-70). There are stores, which are popular with college students and have dedicated shelves for tobacco and alcohol.
Studies indicate that college students shown the ads in the convenience stores saturated with both alcohol and tobacco advertisements have the tendency of abusing the two drugs. Social culture has also contributed to the use and abuse of the two substances through the general level acceptance in terms of legalization. This generates a crop of young people who have the tendency of smoking and drinking.
H4: Ethical value and ban on advertising has negative influence of alcohol consumption and tobacco usage on college student body.
Issuance of bans appears to be a possible strategy that will influence the use and abuse of both tobacco and alcohol in the colleges. The rationale especially in ethical values is that our behaviour and attitude is heavily influenced by the prevailing norms. Culture is a determining factor that sets norms and expectancies especially in influencing how often the college students abuse both tobacco and alcohol
. Prevention of strategies such as issuance of bans on the purchase of the two drugs, educating college students on good ethical standards will help in preventing alcohol and tobacco abuse. Making behaviour less socially acceptable will influence on the change of the motives. Therefore, by reducing the number of adverts in the media will solve the problem of alcohol and tobacco use.
H5: Perception toward alcohol and tobacco and self-efficacy has direct influence of alcohol consumption and tobacco usage on college student body.
The advertisements running in the media and the convenience stores on tobacco and alcohol create an appealing perception. Perceived self-efficacy after the use of the two drugs depicted on the adverts makes college youths to desire the products. The perception by most college students that influence on their abuse of tobacco and alcohol include; the attitudes towards the two drugs, expectancies of the drugs, normative beliefs and refusal efficacy beliefs. Alcohol and tobacco attitudes refer to individual evaluation on the use of the two drugs. Expectancies are the perceived positive and negative likelihood on the consequences of abuse.
Normative beliefs are the perception college youths have on alcohol use and abuse by same-age peers. It is the perceived level of approval. Refusal efficacy beliefs are the ability of college youths to resist the pressure from alcohol and tobacco abuse. Underlying the flashy adverts is the inevitable problem of addiction and health related problems. Most students would judge the good effect of the alcohol and tobacco on the adverts. This will influence the consumption of the two substances.
Tobacco Smoking
Young college students often identify themselves as social smokers. This case study investigated the prevalence of social smoking amongst the US college students. In this study, a randomized group of 10904 students from 119 recognizable colleges was used. 51% of the cohort agreed that they were social smokers. This group comprised of young adults between the 18 and 24 years of age. The pattern of tobacco use among the college students distinguishes them from the general population. Experimental forms of smoking are heavily influenced by the information from the advertisements. This transcends to social smoking in which the smokers bond. While peer pressure and other factors play important influence on the young people smoking tendencies, the respondents also mentioned advertisements as a cause. Social smoking, which is a prevalent norm among college students gave a gloomy picture with most students admitting that that have less intention of quitting. When asked why they showed minimal interest in quitting, most agreed that the activity was full of fun. This case study illustrated that tobacco abuse among the college students seems to occur in transition with and an establishment as experimental smoking and maturity to established use. Tobacco industry understands this social context and thus, constructed marketing strategies to suit the stage at which tobacco usage is prevalent. This case study showed the prevalence of social smoking among the college youths in the US. The selection of participants was non-random and included students across the US who attends 4-year colleges. Social smoking was common among the college students who spend tie socializing with friends, a common trend among college students.
Alcohol Drinking
California State University is an institution with a bright history. The shadow side of this university is the persistent alcohol abuse. Student drinking in the campus is and remains to be a headache for the student leaders and the dons. This is contributed to the ‘party school’ legacy that is downright in the university. Several factors have been discussed as a possible solution to the problem (Alters and Schiff 65-70). One of the factors is changing the modifying environment that leads to possible likelihood of alcohol abuse. The media has a dalliance of propagating the party, which may act as a form of advertisements.
The media places the experience of party school at a national level. Alcohol abuse in the university is a multi-casual problem, which is due to a host of influences. The entire campus has been working around the clock to fight the problem of alcohol abuse after alcohol related deaths between the years 1996-2000. The campus has come up with ways of implementing multi-targeted prevention strategies, which are comprehensive. Some of these restrictions include; encouraging health-promoting practices both in academic and residential environment, limiting the availability of alcohol in the campus, restriction of both marketing and advertisements of alcohol related drinks, and synchronising and enforcing campus laws with those of local, state and federal. The university is grappling with the major problem that contributes to episodic drinking; party school, which is an alcohol-fuelled celebration. Media coverage of this event has perpetuated alcohol abuse among the students. This event is similar to a promo or adverts, which entice students from high school, too apply for courses offered in the university.
Findings and Classifications
Conclusion
The university administration should be in the forefront in advocating any form of advertisement within the facilities. Promotional events, which allow the use and abuse of the two drugs, should be banned in the college. College publications in form of newsletters should not contain adverts on the two drugs(Bonnie and O’Connell 74-91). The literature review part has shown through linkage the correlation between alcohol and tobacco use and abuse on the advertisements. One drawback is the methodology used is suggestive rather than conclusive in linking the two variables (Espejo 124-130). The future of this research lies heavily on the conducting an empirical research on the two variables. This will depend on a huge investment in visiting these institutions of higher learning and getting the first hand data of the two variables. This will make the research both comprehensive and conclusive. Social smoking and binge drinking are among the distinct patterns of the abuse of the two drugs.
Works Cited
Alters, Sandra, and WendySchiff. Essential Concepts for Healthy Living. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett, 2009. Print.
Bonnie, RichardJ, and MaryE.O'Connell. Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2003. Print.
Espejo, Roman. Drug Abuse. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Print.
Goldman, MarkS, GayleM.Boyd, and VivianFaden. College Drinking, What It Is, and What to Do About It: A Review of the State of the Science. Piscataway, N.J: Center of Alchohol Studies, the State University of New Jersey, Rutgers, 2002. Print.
Newman, LoriM. Does Advertising Promote Substance Abuse?Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Print. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Print.
Turner, H S, and JanetL.Hurley. The History and Practice of College Health. Lexington, Ky: University Press of Kentucky, 2002. Print.
