Andy Tan with students and an LGBTQ flag

Tailoring Culturally Appropriate Messages for LGBTQ+ Young Women

In a recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Andy Tan, Associate Professor of Communication, and colleagues sought to increase resistance to tobacco marketing among young adult sexual minority women.

This is notable in the U.S., where young women who identify as LGBTQ+ are up to 4.8 times more likely to smoke cigarettes than their heterosexual peers.

“This places them at significantly higher risks of smoking-related illnesses, including cancers and heart disease.” – Andy Tan, Director of the Health Communication & Equity Lab at Annenberg

The Study

The study participants were ages 18–30, identified as LGBTQ+, and identified as women. 1,212 participants were smokers and 1,002 participants did not smoke.

The researchers recruited participants from existing online studies (notably the PRIDE Study, a long-term national health study of LGBTQIA+ people conducted by doctors and research scientists at Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco), social media, and a dating app.

Participants answered surveys about their smoking history, plans to purchase cigarettes or quit smoking, attitudes and beliefs about the tobacco industry, and demographics. They saw messages for one month and then answered a follow-up survey.

This study was among the first to focus on supporting young adult LGBTQ+ women in quitting smoking, as there is a gap in knowledge of effective strategies for this group. It was also more inclusive by recruiting both cisgender and transgender women.

The Findings

Woman on a phone and text that reads "LGBTQ+ women are 4.8X more likely to smoke cigarettes" — LGBTQ+ women are 4.8x more likely to smoke cigarettes.

Tailored messages were more effective than non-tailored messages in reducing positive beliefs about the tobacco industry among those who smoke. After seeing the messages for one month, both types had positive effects among those who smoke, such as more plans to quit smoking and fewer plans to purchase cigarettes. Both types of messages also had positive effects on those who do not smoke, such as having more negative attitudes and beliefs about the tobacco industry.

The finding showed that tailoring anti-smoking messages for the LGBTQ+ community can be effective in reducing positive beliefs about the tobacco industry. This approach can help inform the design of future anti-smoking campaigns.

The study’s researchers will continue adjusting anti-smoking messages and testing their effects in a follow-up research study. They are also exploring ways to design tailored messages to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ audiences more broadly.