Pakawadee Promnuch. Factors related to intention to smoke cigarettes in secondary school students . Master's Degree(Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2006.
Factors related to intention to smoke cigarettes in secondary school students
Abstract:
This study was descriptive correlational research which used the Theory of Planned
Behavior proposed by Ajzen as the conceptual framework to determine the predictive power
of demographic characteristic factors of age, grade point average, daily allowance, number of
family members smoking and number of friends smoking, as well as, attitude toward
smoking, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on the intention to smoke in the
next month of early adolescents aged 10 to 17 years in Ranong Province. The sample
consisted of 423 students and data were collected by means of a self-administered
questionnaire developed by the researcher. Data collection took place in November and
December 2005. Data were analyzed by means of Spearman’s Correlation Analysis and
Logistic Regression Analysis.
The findings revealed that age, grade point average, and number of friends smoking, as
well as, attitude toward smoking, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control were
related to the intention to smoke within 1 month with statistical significance at the 0.01 level
(rs=.138, rs= -.249, rs=.328, rs= .281, rs =.479, and rs= -.441, respectively). In addition, the
Logistic Regression Analysis showed that all eight factors could explain the intention to
smoke within 1 month by 23% to 39.5%. However, the number of friends smoking, subjective
norm, and perceived behavioral control were the only three factors that had a statistically
significant influence on the subjects’ intention to smoke within 1 month. Thus, having one
more friend who smoked increased the students’ likelihood to intent to smoke within 1 month
by 1.1 times. Also, having one more score on the subjective norm increased the students’
likelihood to intent to smoke within 1 month by 1.6 times. And having one more score on the
perceived behavioral control decreased the students’ likelihood to intent to smoke within 1
month by 0.8 times.
In order to organize health education and smoking prevention programs in early
adolescents, nurses should have more awareness on the participation of students’ significant
persons such as friends, parents, teacher, etc. In addition, adolescents’ perception on their
control over smoking should be encouraged.