The influence of celebrity exemplars on college students' smoking.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the effect of celebrity smoking exemplars in health news on college students' perceptions of smoking-related health risks and smoking intentions.


METHODS
The data were collected using a Web-based survey of 219 undergraduate students at a large midwestern university in March 2011. Separate analyses of covariance were conducted.


RESULTS
The influence of negative exemplars of celebrity smoking on perceptions of smoking-related health risks and smoking intentions varied according to smoking status. Ever-smokers who read smoking news with negative exemplars of celebrity smoking were more likely than ever-smokers who read the same news absent any exemplar to report higher levels of perceptions of smoking-related health risks and lower levels of smoking intentions. However, these patterns were not found in never-smokers.


CONCLUSIONS
Exemplification theory enhanced by the celebrity element may be effectively applied as a strategy to change health behavior in college students.
a Survey & Health Policy Research Center, Dongguk University , Seoul , South Korea.
Woohyun
W
Yoo
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000329:Advertising; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
Antismoking messaging; celebrity; college student; exemplar; exemplification theory; smoking