Social Denormalization

Definition, examples and discussions of the process of making tobacco use "not-normal" in society.

Smokers’ reasons for quitting in an anti-smoking social context

Findings reveal health concerns and the cost of smoking were often reported as reasons for quitting; however, abstinence was not significantly associated. Also, those who felt motivated by their social network attained higher abstinence rates at the one-month follow-up.

Smoking, stigma and tobacco 'denormalization' : further reflections on the use of stigma as a public health tool. A commentary on Social Science & Medicine's Stigma, Prejudice, Discrimination and Health Special Issue (67: 3)

This commentary suggests that stigmatizing smoking will not ultimately help to reduce smoking prevalence amongst disadvantaged smokers – who now represent the majority of tobacco users. Rather, it is likely to exacerbate health-related inequalities by limiting smokers’ access to health care and inhibiting smoking cessation efforts in primary care settings.

Socioeconomic differences in smoking cessation : the role of social participation

Investigated whether psychosocial resources explain socio-economic differences in smoking cessation and its maintenance. 11, 837 individuals between the ages of 45-64 participated in a cross-sectional study with results including a higher success rate among non-manual employees when compared with unskilled manual workers. High social participation is concluded as being a predictor of maintenance of smoking cessation.

Changing social norms : a mass media campaign for youth ages 12-18

Describes a mass media campaign within a social marketing framework that was developed, implemented and evaluated within the city of Calgary. Purpose of the campaign was to denormalize tobacco product use in youth, increase awareness of the dangers of tobacco use and empower youth to stay tobacco free. The campaign was launched on January 16, 2006, during National Non-Smoking Week.

Social imagery, tobacco independence, and the TruthSM campaign

Social imagery and seeming tobacco independence does affect the correlation between exposure to Florida's Truth campaign and smoking status. Subgroup variations in campaign responses and background information about the campaign's growth should be further researched in order to explicate variation in reactions to Truth over time.