Collective identity and social smoking: A comparison of Latino and non-Hispanic white college students

The proposed study investigated cross-cultural differences in smoking behaviors in social settings. The moderating effect of collective identity on smoking in social situations was examined in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White college students attending major universities located in three distinct geographic regions (San Antonio, Texas, New York City, and Miami, Florida). A large sample of college students was obtained (N= 1596) as part of a national survey of Hispanic health disparities, with a focus on smoking and tobacco use. A variety of measures were included in this national smoking survey. The current study, based on data from measures of family, cultural, and peer norms associated with smoking and collective identification, explored how identification with one's collective ethnic group moderates smoking in social settings in a subset of Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White students (N=1318). The evidence did not support the moderating influence of collective identity on the norm-smoking behavior relationship and is inconsistent with previous literature. However, cultural norm predicted smoking in social situations for both ethnic groups. Conceptualizations of cultural identification and future direction of social smoking research is discussed.