LGBTQ Adolescent Smoking: A Social Media Approach to Primary Prevention

Abstract

Objective This paper briefly reviews the literature about increased smoking among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) adolescents and evaluates both the deployment of a primary smoking prevention intervention and the surveying methodology used to query LGBTQ adolescents. Methods The authors designed an educational intervention with three components, including education about the long-term effects of smoking and how the tobacco industry has targeted the LGBTQ community; a guided discussion about select images and messages that normalize smoking among the LGBTQ community; and a group activity to storyboard, or draw and write, primary smoking prevention messages designed for distribution on social media platforms. Items evaluated in pre- and post-questionnaires included basic demographics, sexual orientation and gender identity, smoking and tobacco-related behaviors, curiosity about smoking, and goal-directed behavior (or hope). Results Participants (n = 9) in this pilot project demonstrated increased smoking and tobacco-related behaviors than previously reported in the literature. Statistically significant changes in pre- and post-questionnaire items emerged for goal-directed behavior. Low non-response to questionnaire items used in this project was evident. Conclusion A lack of primary smoking prevention interventions among LGBTQ adolescents make this project worthy of further examination, though the authors recommend that deployment of this intervention would be best accomplished in collaboration with a formal support group structure such as Gay-Straight Alliances.