“The Menthol One Is More Friendly”: Young Singaporeans’ Perspectives on Flavored Cigarettes

2021 ◽  
pp. 101053952110653
Author(s):  
Yvette van der Eijk ◽  
Lavinia Lin ◽  
Lydia Gan ◽  
Odelia Teo ◽  
Mythily Subramaniam ◽  
...  

Over half of the cigarettes sold in Singapore contain added flavors such as menthol. We conducted nine focus group discussions (n = 46) with young (age 20-25) current smokers in Singapore to understand the role of flavors in smoking initiation. We found that flavors triggered the curiosity to experiment with tobacco and e-cigarette products and played an important role in the formation of early cigarette preferences. Menthol-flavored cigarettes were the most appealing to participants due to their smoothness and cooling sensation, described as pleasant against Singapore’s hot and humid climate. While some participants believed that flavored and nonflavored cigarettes were equally harmful, others believed that flavored variants had a lower nicotine content and were therefore less harmful, or that the added chemicals in flavored cigarettes could result in higher toxicant exposures. Thus, among young people in Singapore, flavors appear to play an important role in smoking initiation and there appear to be various misperceptions regarding their harmfulness.

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 418-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claris Riungu ◽  
Harro Maat ◽  
Marrit Van Den Berg

This paper examines the learning process by which farmers come to a decision to use newly introduced seeds which were promoted through demonstration plots in midwestern and eastern regions of Uganda. Framed as social and material interactions, we investigated the learning process of the demonstration plots using data from focus group discussions, interviews and a survey amongst 983 individuals. The results reveal several constraints that impede learning, resulting in an overall low awareness and adoption of the introduced seeds. Some of the most prominent constraints resulted from the selection of location and demonstration plot host, the distance of agro-dealers, at district headquarters, limited interactions amongst farmers and irregular involvement of farmers in the demonstrations. Moreover, the prominent role of agro-dealers at field days suggests that informing farmers about where to buy seeds was considered more important than explaining farmers how to grow these seeds profitably. This commercial focus of field days and demonstrations plots had negative consequences for the social learning. This paper contributes to the learning and adoption literature by showing that interactions amongst actors can improve or reduce the balance between didactic, social and environmental learning.


Author(s):  
Madeleine Leonard

This chapter presents an overview and reflection of the range of methods involved in researching teenagers’ spatial practices in a divided city. The research draws on the ‘new sociology of childhood’ as its theoretical framework. This involves seeing young people as competent social actors in their own right. It involves recognising that young people do not simply reflect adult assumptions about the everyday world but develop their own ways of seeing and knowing. It prioritises young people’s points of views and uses methodologies which encourage young people’s voices to be heard. The study utilised a range of methods including questionnaires, focus group discussions, essays and photo prompts and the chapter outlines how each method contributed to the aims and objectives of the research.


Author(s):  
Paola Francesca Spadaro ◽  
Gianvito D’Aprile ◽  
Maria Beatrice Ligorio ◽  
Neil Schwartz

Two focus group discussions involving 14 entrepreneurs and 106 questionnaires administered to employees were analyzed to explore various parameters of externalities, such as: (1) how externality is conceived; (2) the interplay between a sense of community and a re-definition and negotiation of identity; (3) the role of technology; the sense of belonging, and (4) the propensity to collaborate. Data are analyzed through both thematic discourse analysis and quantitative frequencies analysis. Results show that entrepreneurs hold a multidimensional definition of externality, meditated by their professional and private experience. Ultimately, the reflection on externalities sustains a sense of innovation connected to multi-membership and to re-negotiation of the sense of identity. Within this framework, technology is conceived as a tool supporting the appropriation and sharing of externalities.


2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 305-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanna Leone ◽  
Graziana Curigliano

Our study deals with the meaning of history in the process of construction of one’s self, particularly focusing on the role of historical identity, defined as the psychological awareness of family and cultural inheritance, received by the group in which individuals happen to be born. Since it is determined by the time and place of birth, historical identity may not be chosen, it may only be recognised as more or less meaningful. A psychological confrontation with one’s historical identity — no matter whether it is accepted or refused — is always a specific feature of the construction of one’s self. Starting from these assumptions, we conducted a number of focus group discussions among Italian participants. In order to highlight the evaluative dimensions of discourses, texts were submitted to the APPRAISAL system. All focus group discussions confirmed the difficulties in facing Italy’s collective responsibilities during WWII, suggesting that the protective function of historical identity is still at work down the generations; but they also show a less frequent use of affective resources by the younger generation, indicating a slow progress towards mature in-group reconciliation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Abrahamson

The purpose of the paper is to investigate how young women and men in focus group discussions reason about alcohol, street violence, fear of assault by a stranger, and to compare the different kinds of threats that young women and men present of what might happen when they are out at night and on their way home. The interviews are analysed from the point of view of the accounts the young people give for their feelings and behaviors. The young women's accounts are dominated by their answers to an implicit question of blame for how they ensure their security and which measures they have taken. What the young women are afraid of is rarely formulated explicitly. It is implicit and goes without much saying. On the other hand the accounts the young men are giving for their actions consist of answers to the implicit question of blame for violence they have been involved in and also of blame for fear of violence. The young men's picture of threat is concrete and consists of other young men of the same age. By their accounts they show that fear of violence is something that has to be given an explanation. The young men use intoxication both as an excuse for the violence they are using and as an explanation to why violence occurs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-118
Author(s):  
Z. Ghorashi ◽  
◽  
E. Merghati Khoe ◽  

Objective: In Iran, sexual understandings are strongly determined by religious teaching among women in particular. The aim of this study was to determine the role of religion on Iranian women’s sexual practice evolution. our purpose was to detect women’s individual conceptualization of Islamic Shiite principles and their practice upon these conceptualizations. Design and Method: In this qualitative study, 52 married women in their reproductive age were interviewed (n=4) and participated in eight focus group discussions. They were selected from public health centers in Rafsanjan. Emerged data from the interviews and focus group discussions were analyzed using content analysis. Results: Findings are categorized in three major themes: “unconditional obedience”, ”inconsistency between obedience and virtue”, “misunderstandings”. Conclusions: Religious teaching has a basic and comprehensive role in sexual behavior construction and sexual health of women. However, occasional inconsistency between believes, learning and sexual expectations, practices and situations would lead to jeopardize the psychological and somatic health of women. Misunderstandings have essential role in making such problems.


Childhood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeleine Leonard

The purpose of this article is to explore young people’s constructions of national identity in Cyprus. The article is based on focus group discussions with 20 Greek-speaking and 20 Turkish-speaking young people between 13 and 15 years of age, drawn from two schools in the divided capital city of Nicosia. The article explores both the ways in which Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot young people understand their own identity and the degrees of their allegiance to an overarching identity as ‘Cypriot’, rather than Turkish/Greek Cypriot. The article reflects on the contradictions young people face in divided societies where there are competing discourses around national identity.


Author(s):  
Samkelo Bala ◽  
Simon M. Kang’ethe

AbstractNyaope is a potent drug that is currently challenging South Africa; its ramifications have destroyed the country’s youth. The study described in this paper sought to explore the dangers associated with the consumption of Nyaope in Butterworth, South Africa. This study adopted an explorative and descriptive qualitative approach that involved the facilitation of focus group discussions and one-on-one interviews with twenty-six participants. An analysis of the findings of the study revealed the health hazards associated with consuming Nyaope and the tendency of Nyaope consumption to induce hallucinations and delusions in young people. Moreover, the study showed that Nyaope stimulated mood swings among female adolescents, its consumption created a fertile ground for conflict, and the addiction to Nyaope led to the destruction of the future of female adolescents. The researchers recommend the application of multiple approaches to preventing the initiation of Nyaope consumption. These approaches include attempts to control the peddling of Nyaope in schools and communities as well as the introduction of pro-active educational interventions regarding the dangers of Nyaope on the part of relevant institutions and government.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ismaiza Busti ◽  
◽  
Mahyudin Ritonga ◽  
Ahmad Lahmi ◽  
◽  
...  

The Head of Madrasah has a role in various matters related to improving the quality of both human resources and infrastructure in each madrasah he leads, teachers as human resources elements in madrasahs need strategic steps taken by the head of madrasah to improve their professionalism, this research aims to explore how the role of madarasah head in improving teacher competence in MTs Istiqamah Talu Talamau Subdistrict. Research is designed with an explorative qualitative approach, namely a study that aims to find the role performed by the head of madrasah through the search of various sources, the source of this research is madrasah supervisors, teachers in MTs Istiqamah and madarasah heads as a form of confirmation, to obtain data from the specified sources, in this research used observation techniques, interviews, documentation studies and focus group discussions, data analysis used is descriptive qualitative. The result of the research is that the head of madrasah plays a role in increasing the professionalism of teachers in the form of informative, coordinate, consultative and informative.


Author(s):  
Judith Howard ◽  
Lyra L’Estrange ◽  
Meegan Brown

Abstract It is not unusual for school counsellors to be involved in trauma-aware education practice; however, their role is not uniformly defined in the literature nor consistently applied in professional settings. Trauma-aware education is relatively new but rapidly growing in Australia and beyond. It involves supporting students in a neuroscience-informed manner to address the impacts of complex trauma on their capacities to feel safe, to relate, to emotionally regulate, and to learn. Twenty-six school counsellors completed questionnaires, and eight of those joined focus group discussions to explore the role of school counsellors in trauma-aware practice in Queensland, Australia. Drawing on the voices of practitioners, the present report discusses categories of practice that are prioritised by school counsellors and recommends supports to effectively undertake trauma-aware practice in school settings.


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