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‘Hidden Habitus’: A Qualitative Study of Socio-Ecological Influences on Drinking Practices and Social Identity in Mid-Adolescence

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Steph Scott, Professor Eileen KanerORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).


Abstract

© 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This study explored mid-adolescents’ views and experiences of socio-ecological influences on their drinking practices in order to help inform the development of interventions to reduce alcohol-related risk. We conducted 31 in-depth interviews with young people aged 13-17 in North East England. Verbatim interview transcripts and field notes were coded systematically and analysed thematically, following the principles of constant comparison. We adopted Bourdieu’s idea of social game-playing and elements of his conceptual toolkit (particularly habitus, capital and field) during analysis. Analysis yielded three intersecting themes: (1) ‘drinking etiquette’: conveying taste and disgust, (2) ‘playing the drinking game’: demonstrating cultural competency, (3) ‘hidden habitus’—the role of alcohol marketing. Our work demonstrates that there is a nexus of influential factors which come together to help shape and reinforce mid-adolescents’ behaviour, norms and values in relation to alcohol consumption. Drinking practices are not just formed by friendships and family traditions, these are also subject to wider cultural shaping including by the alcohol industry which can encourage brand identification, and gear specific products to add ‘distinction’. However young people are not inactive players and they use aspects of capital and social games to help cement their identity and present themselves in particular ways which in turn are influenced by age, gender and social status. Guided by promising work in the tobacco field, interventions which focus on critical awareness of the framing of alcohol products by key stakeholders, such as policymakers, commercial industry and public health professionals, and by wider society may facilitate behaviour change among young people.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Scott S, Shucksmith J, Baker R, Kaner E

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Year: 2017

Volume: 14

Issue: 6

Online publication date: 08/06/2017

Acceptance date: 05/06/2017

Date deposited: 27/06/2017

ISSN (print): 1661-7827

ISSN (electronic): 1660-4601

Publisher: MDPI AG

URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14060611

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14060611


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Funding

Funder referenceFunder name
ESRC
NIHR
SPHRNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
SPHRNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
SPHRNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
PHRC
UKCRC

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