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refahj 2022, 22(84): 39-71 |
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Rahman A. (2022). Peer Pressure in Smoking and its Impact on Social Welfare; A Study Using Agent-based Modeling and Simulation. refahj. 22(84), : 2
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3712-en.html
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3712-en.html
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Introduction: Many people die each year due to smoking. The World Health Organization reports indicate that smoking is one of the major and preventable causes of premature death, illness, inability, and disability in the world (Sarbandiet al., 2015). Social pressures, such as peer pressure, which are manifested in one's interactions with his/her peers, are among the most effective factors in people's tendency to smoke. In this research, attempts have been made to study and analyze peer pressure in smoking and its impact on some of the welfare indicators including mortality number due to starvation, wealth average of agents, and Gini coefficient using agent-based modeling and simulation.
Method: Agent-based modeling and simulation method, as well as library studies were used in the current study. Using the NetLogo software (Wilensky, 1999) and the basic models (NetLogo Sugarscape 3 Wealth Distribution Model (Li and Wilensky, 2009) and Smoking Motivation Peer Pressure Model (Helmich, 2012)) and considering other requirements (some welfare indicators and some of the parameters and variables), a model was developed, and then some experiments were performed.
In the experiments, the initial population of agents was considered 500 individuals with random characteristics and random initial location in the environment. Level of agents’ vision from the numerical range 2 to 4, agents’ metabolism rate from the numerical range 1 to 6, and initial sugar endowment to each agent from the numerical range 50 to 100 were randomly selected for each agent at birth time and given to each agent. The initial age of the agents was considered zero, and the maximum age of the agents in the experiments was chosen randomly from 60 to 100 for each agent and was given at the birth time. The number of smoker agents in the population was also considered as a percentage of the initial population; 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90% in the experiments.
Experiments were conducted in two situations: the first situation included absence of peer pressure in smoking, and the second situation included presence of peer pressure in smoking.
In the second situation of experiments, the neighbor switch was set to on and the percent-extrinsic slider was set to 25% and self-determination was randomly assigned from float range 0 to 5 to each agent.
Each experiment was performed for 100 (time) ticks and 10 times.
Findings: Findings of the experiments showed that in both situations; absence of peer pressure in smoking and presence of peer pressure in smoking, by increasing number of smoker agents in society, mortality number due to starvation and average of Gini coefficient increase, and wealth average of agents decreases.
In figure 1, four different views of a simulation by the developed model with considering 30% smoker agents in the population are visible from left to right.
Findings of the experiments in the situation of absence of peer pressure in smoking indicate a richer society in comparison with the situation of presence of peer pressure in smoking. In figure 2, respectively; from top to down, diagrams of Gini coefficient, wealth average of agents, and mortality number due to starvation, related to the two situations of the experiments are visible and comparable.
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Figure 2: Status of Gini coefficient average, wealth average of agents and mortality number due to starvation of agents with consideration of percentages of smoker agents (of initial population) in two situations of the experiments; absence of peer pressure in smoking; red color, presence of peer pressure in smoking; blue color.
Discussion: Increasing the number of smoker agents in society can decrease social welfare. Presence of peer pressure in smoking can also decrease wealth average and increase mortality number due to starvation of agents.
What is certain is that peer pressure to smoke is a public concern in the society, as a significant percentage of people may suffer its losses. On the other hand, peer pressure to smoke may be inevitable. Therefore, in order to properly and principally deal with this problem and preventing the social consequence resulting from it, it is necessary to know and study more about this problem and employ appropriate and effective encounter strategies for it.
Paying attention to family rules and values, enough attention to how a person communicates with peer groups, strengthening a person's sense of self-confidence, interacting and cooperation among peers’ parents, strengthening the family foundation, and providing a safe and stress-free environment without any fear and anxiety by parents and creating and strengthening friendships with children are from the practical ways to deal with peer pressure in adolescents (Kheirjoo, 2006). These are also applicable to deal with peer pressure to smoke. In addition, sufficient awareness and attention to the disadvantages of smoking, the promotion of needed health educations in the society, the restriction of consumption and control of the distribution and availability of tobacco products may be other solutions related to reducing and controlling peer pressure for smoking that can be taken into consideration.
Implementing and using more welfare indicators in the model can probably lead to access better and more complete results. This requires a more developed artificial society. In other words, this requires a wider and more extended and developed modeling and simulation that can be of interest to a team of researchers and experts in this field in the future.
Ethical Considerations
Authors’ contributions
This article is written by the author.
Funding
There was no financial sponsor for writing this article.
Conflicts of interest
No conflict of interest has been expressed by the author.
Acknowledgments
In writing this article, the author has tried to observe ethical principles.
Introduction: Many people die each year due to smoking. The World Health Organization reports indicate that smoking is one of the major and preventable causes of premature death, illness, inability, and disability in the world (Sarbandiet al., 2015). Social pressures, such as peer pressure, which are manifested in one's interactions with his/her peers, are among the most effective factors in people's tendency to smoke. In this research, attempts have been made to study and analyze peer pressure in smoking and its impact on some of the welfare indicators including mortality number due to starvation, wealth average of agents, and Gini coefficient using agent-based modeling and simulation.
Method: Agent-based modeling and simulation method, as well as library studies were used in the current study. Using the NetLogo software (Wilensky, 1999) and the basic models (NetLogo Sugarscape 3 Wealth Distribution Model (Li and Wilensky, 2009) and Smoking Motivation Peer Pressure Model (Helmich, 2012)) and considering other requirements (some welfare indicators and some of the parameters and variables), a model was developed, and then some experiments were performed.
In the experiments, the initial population of agents was considered 500 individuals with random characteristics and random initial location in the environment. Level of agents’ vision from the numerical range 2 to 4, agents’ metabolism rate from the numerical range 1 to 6, and initial sugar endowment to each agent from the numerical range 50 to 100 were randomly selected for each agent at birth time and given to each agent. The initial age of the agents was considered zero, and the maximum age of the agents in the experiments was chosen randomly from 60 to 100 for each agent and was given at the birth time. The number of smoker agents in the population was also considered as a percentage of the initial population; 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90% in the experiments.
Experiments were conducted in two situations: the first situation included absence of peer pressure in smoking, and the second situation included presence of peer pressure in smoking.
In the second situation of experiments, the neighbor switch was set to on and the percent-extrinsic slider was set to 25% and self-determination was randomly assigned from float range 0 to 5 to each agent.
Each experiment was performed for 100 (time) ticks and 10 times.
Findings: Findings of the experiments showed that in both situations; absence of peer pressure in smoking and presence of peer pressure in smoking, by increasing number of smoker agents in society, mortality number due to starvation and average of Gini coefficient increase, and wealth average of agents decreases.
In figure 1, four different views of a simulation by the developed model with considering 30% smoker agents in the population are visible from left to right.
| Second view: tick 25; migration of agents to sugar peaks to obtain more sugar (wealth) and supply their required metabolism. | First view: Initial state at zero; random distribution of agents in the environment, non-smoker agents in green color, and smoker agents in red color. |
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| Fourth view: tick 100; agents death; due to starvation or achieve maximum age. | Third view: tick 70; reduction in the number of agents, settling of agents in sugar peaks. |
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| Figure 1: four different views of a simulation by the developed model with considering 30% smoker agents in the population. | |
Figure 2: Status of Gini coefficient average, wealth average of agents and mortality number due to starvation of agents with consideration of percentages of smoker agents (of initial population) in two situations of the experiments; absence of peer pressure in smoking; red color, presence of peer pressure in smoking; blue color.
Discussion: Increasing the number of smoker agents in society can decrease social welfare. Presence of peer pressure in smoking can also decrease wealth average and increase mortality number due to starvation of agents.
What is certain is that peer pressure to smoke is a public concern in the society, as a significant percentage of people may suffer its losses. On the other hand, peer pressure to smoke may be inevitable. Therefore, in order to properly and principally deal with this problem and preventing the social consequence resulting from it, it is necessary to know and study more about this problem and employ appropriate and effective encounter strategies for it.
Paying attention to family rules and values, enough attention to how a person communicates with peer groups, strengthening a person's sense of self-confidence, interacting and cooperation among peers’ parents, strengthening the family foundation, and providing a safe and stress-free environment without any fear and anxiety by parents and creating and strengthening friendships with children are from the practical ways to deal with peer pressure in adolescents (Kheirjoo, 2006). These are also applicable to deal with peer pressure to smoke. In addition, sufficient awareness and attention to the disadvantages of smoking, the promotion of needed health educations in the society, the restriction of consumption and control of the distribution and availability of tobacco products may be other solutions related to reducing and controlling peer pressure for smoking that can be taken into consideration.
Implementing and using more welfare indicators in the model can probably lead to access better and more complete results. This requires a more developed artificial society. In other words, this requires a wider and more extended and developed modeling and simulation that can be of interest to a team of researchers and experts in this field in the future.
Ethical Considerations
Authors’ contributions
This article is written by the author.
Funding
There was no financial sponsor for writing this article.
Conflicts of interest
No conflict of interest has been expressed by the author.
Acknowledgments
In writing this article, the author has tried to observe ethical principles.
Type of Study: orginal |
Received: 2020/08/19 | Accepted: 2021/11/10 | Published: 2022/05/13
Received: 2020/08/19 | Accepted: 2021/11/10 | Published: 2022/05/13
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