Segment: College Students
Interview #1: Female, 23 years old
This individual is in her 2nd year at UNF. Although
she is in her hometown, she lived on campus in her dorm before COVID-19 and
would visit her parents on the weekends. She started vaping and only thinks about
her habit when her parents’ “shame” her for it. They make her feel guilty and she
will quit temporarily, but she will start right back during the new semester. She
just feels like it is easy for her to fall back into old habits when no one is
holding her accountable for her own actions. Although she is aware of her need,
she is not taking any steps in order to resolve it. She sees the commercials on
tv from truth but she just doesn’t really feel like that has convinced her to further
look into stopping. It seems like a lack of motivation.
Interview #2: Male, 26 years old
This individual does marathon runs regularly. With that
being said, he only really trains a few weeks prior to a scheduled run. He does
not find his cigarette use prominent until he starts running again and realizes
his shortness of breath. When that happens, he does usually research information
to see if any breathing treatments or exercises can help him with his
breathing. It does not look like he’s further researching the effect it’s having
on his lungs, even though he is aware. It’s almost like the temporary solutions
are more convenient than just stopping for him. He does talk to his friends who
run with him about this issue, and some are encouraging him to take the next
steps to stop, while the others do not feel like it is a big deal.
Interview #3: Male, 25 years old
This individual goes to college in a different city than his
hometown. Growing up, his parents smoked and dipped so he does not really rely
on advice from them in regards to quitting his habit. It’s almost like when he
comes to town, there’s always a celebration where he’s surrounded by all of his
loved ones doing it. He has realized his issue when he is low on funds and
needs a cigarette but cannot buy a pack, instead he has to get them from his
friends. He has tried to find cheaper alternatives, but even with vapes, the price
of the “juice” is even more expensive – which is supposed to be a way to ween
off of nicotine.
Based on the college students I interviewed, it seems like they
are aware of the issue when they are faced with a difficulty in that exact
moment. They do not think about it long-term and therefore are not taking the
steps to meet their unmet need. If the solution isn’t available to them at that
time, it is not as likely for them to move forward with next steps. I think it
would be most beneficial to market more on campus, in gyms and in high volume
college businesses to raise awareness and allow them to see it while they are
out and about in public. As far as information search goes, it's currently going through big sites such as Truth which isn't making this a personable experience. I think it’s best to
have our search cater locally and also to have ads pop up on social media based
on their location and web activity. This could include, but not limited to,
online nicotine purchases and being at popular bars/clubs around town.
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