RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: This study examines a diverse set of social motives (e.g. peer support, peer pressure, social loneliness) for e-cigarette use, through the mediating effects of opinion leadership, among both male and female adolescents. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: The data were obtained from a survey conducted among 666 adolescents across 14 school classes, namely, students at three urban schools, public and private, in Lille, France. The proposed integrative model includes social motives, opinion leadership and e-cigarette use in a trilateral relationship; gender is proposed and tested as a potential moderator in a structural equation model. RESULTS: More positive peer support is negatively associated with opinion leadership and e-cigarette use. Both loneliness and susceptibility to peer influence are positively related to opinion leadership and e-cigarette use. Moreover, social support from peers and opinion leadership shape e-cigarette use differently across genders. CONCLUSIONS: Policy makers should account for the various (positive and negative) roles of peers and consider the gender of their audience when designing anti-e-cigarette policies.
