Looking like a smoker, a smokescreen to racism? Māori perceived appearance linked to smoking status

Māori, the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa (New Zealand), continue to exhibit the highest rate of smoking of any ethnic group in the nation. Clarifying the present day factors which perpetuate Māori smoking has become matter of some urgency.

We investigate links between subjective elements of Māori identity, demographic factors and perceived discrimination with smoking status in a national probability sample of self-identified Māori (N = 667).

Our results suggest that core aspects of Māori identity and cultural engagement were not significantly linked with smoking. However, the extent to which participants felt they were perceived as prototypically Māori (measured as Perceived Appearance) was reliably associated with smoking. The effect of Perceived Appearance held when adjusting for perceived experiences of discrimination and other standard demographic indicators.

Our analysis indicates that simply feeling that one is more visibly Māori is associated with an increased likelihood of smoking. This may reflect how Māori negotiate the larger systemic forces of racism present in New Zealand society.