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Psychological Aspects of Tobacco Control

Shahab, L; McGowan, J; (2017) Psychological Aspects of Tobacco Control. In: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK. Green open access

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Abstract

World-wide, tobacco use is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. However, the health effects of smoking are reversible, making smoking cessation an important target for public health policy. ‘Tobacco control’ is a field of public health science which is dedicated to reducing tobacco use, and thereby reducing cigarette-related morbidity and mortality. In order for tobacco control to be effective, it is necessary for policy-makers to understand the personal and interpersonal factors which encourage people to smoke, factors which motivate smokers to quit (e.g. health, social pressure, cost), and the personal and population-level methods which are most effective at encouraging and prolonging quit attempts. Research has identified that social norms, mental health, and individual personality factors are most associated with smoking uptake and so interventions which reduce social smoking (e.g. smoking bans, plain packaging) would be most effective at preventing uptake. Conversely, the use of cigarettes is maintained by nicotine addiction and quit attempts are often motivated by health concerns, social pressure and the cost of tobacco products. As such, interventions which address physiological and behavioural addiction inherent in tobacco product use (such as nicotine replacement therapy combined with counselling), create social pressure to stop (such as mass media campaigns), or increase the cost of tobacco products, are most likely to be effective at encouraging quit attempts.

Type: Book chapter
Title: Psychological Aspects of Tobacco Control
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.126
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013...
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Smoking cessation, addiction, intervention, tobacco control.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Experimental Psychology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Behavioural Science and Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1574478
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