Ethnic differences in the role of descriptive and injunctive norms in college student nicotine use
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Authors: Eric Shanazari, Abnous Shahverdi, Lizbeth Becerra, Rasmey Kao, Xiao Zhang,
Jennifer B. Unger, Myriam Forster

Background: Research has demonstrated ethnic disparities in young adults’ nicotine product use, but few studies have examined how descriptive and injunctive norms can affect nicotine product use across ethnicity.

Methods: Data are from the 2024 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (N=2,080) administered at a public university in Southern California. Logistic and Poisson regression models assessed the association between ethnicity and lifetime and past 3-month nicotine product use and whether descriptive norms (perceptions of others’ behavior) and injunctive norms (perceptions of others’ thoughts on one’s behavior) moderated this relationship among a diverse sample of college students.
 
Results: The sample was 31% male, 52% Hispanic/Latino, 17% Asian, 13% non-Hispanic White,
10% Middle Eastern, 5% Black/African American, and 4% Multiethnic or Other. Nearly one in
four (24%) respondents reported lifetime nicotine product use and 12% reported past 3-month use. There were significant ethnic differences in nicotine use; Middle Eastern respondents had consistently high lifetime nicotine product use (AOR:2.08, 95%CI:1.26,3.44) and past 3-month nicotine product use (IRR:1.09. 95%CI:1.02,1.16) compared to other ethnic groups. Descriptive (p < .05) and injunctive norms (p < 0.001) moderated the relationship between ethnicity and nicotine product use. For example, Among Middle Eastern, Asian, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White students, higher descriptive norms resulted in significantly higher odds of nicotine use but were not associated with nicotine use among Black/African American or Multiethnic students.

Conclusion: These findings underscore the need for continued research focused on risk and protective factors for nicotine use among young adult college students and how ethnicity, culture, and norms influence use. Groups at the greatest risk for nicotine use (non-Hispanic White and Middle Eastern students) may be more receptive to social influences and normative re-education while targeting other aspects of behavior may be more beneficial for ethnic groups less influenced by norms (Hispanic and African American students), highlighting the need for strategic, targeted prevention programming in order to achieve persuasive messaging.