LGB Tobacco Control: Do Health Belief Model Constructs Predict Tobacco Use Intentions Differently between LGB and Heterosexual Individuals?

Yachao Li, Bo Yang and Bryan Chen
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Yachao Li: Department of Communication Studies, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08628, USA
Bo Yang: Department of Communication, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Bryan Chen: Department of Public Health, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08628, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-12

Abstract: This research includes two studies testing whether the Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs predict tobacco use intentions differently between heterosexual and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people. Focusing on cigarette smoking, Study 1 ( n = 1808 U.S. adult current smokers) found that the perceived health threat and perceived benefits of smoking differently predicted intentions to continue smoking between heterosexual and LGB smokers. The perceived health threat of smoking had a weaker negative relationship and perceived benefits of smoking had a stronger positive relationship with smoking intentions among LGB smokers than heterosexual smokers. Focusing on vaping, Study 2 ( n = 2801 U.S. adults) found that the perceived health threat and perceived barriers of vaping differentially predicted vaping intentions between heterosexual and LGB individuals. The perceived health threat of vaping only negatively predicted vaping intentions among heterosexual people. Perceived barriers to vaping had a stronger negative relationship with intentions to vape among LGB people than among heterosexual people. Our finding suggests that compared to perceptions of tobacco-related health consequences (perceived heath threat), behavioral perceptions (perceived benefits and barriers) may have stronger impacts on tobacco use intentions among LGB people. Thus, efforts focusing on reducing tobacco-related disparities among the LGB community should address perceived benefits and barriers of tobacco use.

Keywords: Health Belief Model; LGB; tobacco control; e-cigarettes; cigarettes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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