Does the exposure to smoking cues in movies affect adolescents' immediate smoking behavior?

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Various studies have demonstrated that environmental smoking cues elicit smoking-related responses in smokers. However, cue reactivity studies among adolescent smokers are scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of smoking portrayal in movies on immediate smoking behavior in adolescent smokers. METHOD: A total of 65 adolescent daily smokers (between the ages of 16 and 18 years) were exposed to a one-hour movie clip, with or without smoking characters, and were allowed to smoke while watching the movie. RESULTS: The exposure to smoking cues in movies had no effect on immediate smoking behavior. This association was not affected by several smoking- and movie-related variables. CONCLUSIONS: No influence of smoking cues in movies on immediate smoking behavior in adolescent daily smokers was found. More experimental research on the effects of environmental cues on adolescent smokers in different stages of addiction is needed.