Moralising geographies: stigma, smoking islands and responsible subjects

Abstract

As the long-term negative health effects of continued smoking have become more obvious, smoking cessation has become a key focus of government attention across the developed world. Smoking cessation programmes have had mixed outcomes, with rates of smoking in certain socio-economically disadvantaged and ethnic minority groups remaining high. The increasing stigmatisation of those who continue to smoke, coupled with the spatial segregation of poor and minority populations, may compound to produce 'smoking islands' that may serve to reinforce rather than discourage continued smoking. This paper examines practices of compliance and resistance by disadvantaged smokers and ex-smokers to strategies of biopower.Note 1 A stepwise multiple regression analysis, incorporating a dependent variable of ex-smokers as a % eversmokers in 2006, indicated that, for Christchurch as a whole, smoking rates decreased less or increased in less affluent parts of the city. The % earning $50,000 or more (+), ethnicity (% Maori) (-) and levels of homeownership (+) were the three key predictor variables (R 2 =0.907).

Neighbourhood deprivation and outlet density for tobacco, alcohol and fast food: first hints of obesogenic and addictive environments in Germany

“…That such a higher exposure is in fact correlated with a higher demand is confirmed by several studies on tobacco and alcohol (18,38,39) . Several authors report spatial aggregation structures in the form of so-called 'smoking islands' (40) . According to three current reviews, the majority (23,41,42) but not all (43,44) of the studies also identified a significant association between a healthy community food environment and limited access to fastfood restaurants, on the one hand, and healthy diets and lower obesity rates on the other hand.…”

Decolonising Research Methodologies in East Arnhem Land

“…In adopting a grounded theory methodology for the study, I sought to disrupt and challenge the many voices of tobacco control researchers and advocates who continue to maintain strategies of denormalisation, increasing restrictions, and stigmatisation of smoking and smokers despite the implications for Indigenous peoples and other disadvantaged groups (Thompson, Pearce, & Barnett, 2007).…”

Differential access to health care and support? A qualitative analysis of how Australian smokers conceptualise and respond to stigma

“…More broadly, our analysis builds on existing work to show how denormalisation policies have not only stigmatised the practice of smoking, but have also called smokers' identities (their moral and social worth) into question Greaves et al, 2010;Holdsworth & Robinson, 2008;Thompson et al, 2007;Wigginton & Lafrance, 2015). This raises questions about the extent to which stigmatisation serves to construct certain 'profiles' of moral and healthy citizens -thus moving beyond a targeting of behaviour to a targeting of groups of people.…”

“…There is substantial evidence documenting smokers' experiences of stigmatisation in light of tobacco denormalisation policies Burgess et al, 2009;Greaves, Oliffe, Ponic, Kelly, & Bottorff, 2010;Kim & Shanahan, 2003;Phillips, Amos, Ritchie, Cunningham-Burley, & Martin, 2007;Ritchie, Amos, & Martin, 2010;Thompson et al, 2007;Wigginton & Lee, 2013). For example, the authors of an analysis of interviews with 40 Scottish smokers argued that since the introduction of smoke-free legislation, smokers had experienced a loss of social status in public spaces.…”

“…In light of the increasing socio-economic inequalities in smoking (Graham, 2012;Thompson, Pearce, & Barnett, 2007), there has been significant debate about the ethics of deliberately stigmatising smoking and smokers through public health policy (Bayer, 2008;Guttman & Salmon, 2004;Stuber, Galea, & Link, 2009). Although tobacco use is legal, it has been argued that stigma is being used as a tool to replace the prohibition of tobacco use (Bell, Salmon, Bowers, Bell, & McCullough, 2010).…”