The Effect of Cigarette Content Marketing on Students' Smoking Behavior and Decisions: A PLS-SEM Approach

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Public Health
• Marketing

Background:

• Cigarette marketing content is pervasive on social media platforms.
• Understanding the impact of this marketing on student behavior is crucial for public health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the influence of cigarette content marketing on student behavior.
• To examine the direct and indirect effects of marketing on cigarette purchasing decisions.
• To investigate the role of student behavior in their purchasing choices.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative research design utilizing a sample of 500 smoking students from twelve universities in Medan, Indonesia.
• Data collected via validated questionnaires (convergent and discriminant validity confirmed).
• Multivariate analysis combining factor and regression analyses to assess variable relationships.

Main Results:

• Cigarette marketing content significantly impacts both student behavior (p < 0.05) and purchasing decisions (p < 0.05).
• Student behavior significantly influences cigarette purchasing decisions (p < 0.05).
• 93.2% of students reported exposure to cigarette marketing on social media, with perception of smoking activity being the most influential factor despite health concerns.

Conclusions:

• Cigarette marketing content demonstrably shapes student behavior and purchasing decisions.
• Student behavior is a significant mediator in the decision-making process for cigarette purchases.
• Interventions targeting cigarette marketing exposure and shaping perceptions are essential to curb student smoking.