Abstract

Title : SMOKING STATUS AND THE INTENTION TO QUIT SMOKING IN SECONDARY AND VOCATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENTS IN TRAKAN PHUETPHON, UBON RATCHATHANEE
By : AKKACHAI JAROONNET
Degree : MASTER OF SCIENCE
Major : HEALTH SERVICE MANAGEMENT
Advisor : CHARUWAN THANAWIROON
Keywords : SMOKING STATUS/ INTENTION TO QUIT SMOKING/ STUDENTS
   
This study is cross-sectional survey study on the smoking status and the desire to quit smoking in secondary and vocational school students in Trakan Phuetphon, Ubon Ratchathanee. The objectives are 1) to study the smoking behavior in secondary and vocational school students, 2) to study cigarette addiction level and to evaluate factors related to cigarette addiction in secondary and vocational education students, 3) to compare the attitude towards smoking between the groups of non-smokers or those who had quitted smoking and of smokers in secondary and vocational schools, 4) to study the correlation between general information, social and environmental factors, attitude towards smoking and smoking behavior, 5) to study the level of quitting desire of students who smoke. The research was conducted by studying 784 samples of secondary and vocational school students in Trakan Phuetphon, Ubon Ratchathanee in the academic year 2007. It was found that both kinds of students had their first cigarette at the age of 14-16 for 58.97%. 69.23% did it out of their own desire to try. 66.67% had tried to quit. 42.95% thought of quitting out of financial consideration. The level of nicotine addiction was low. The factors in cigarette addiction were psychological addiction (26.28%). As for the reasons for continuing to smoke, for 41.33% seeing someone else smoke, they could not resist. For the attitude towards smoking in both kinds of students, it was fully agreed that smoking harms close ones. Smokers’ attitude towards smoking was at the moderate level, 69.87%. Non-smokers or people who had already quitted had a high level of attitude towards smoking (72.77%). What was most agreed among those among both kinds of students who still smoked was that the money spent on cigarettes could be saved for other kinds of necessity. The attitude towards quitting among current smokers was at the moderate level (52%). The study showed that personal factors, significantly correlated to smoking behavior in both kinds of students, were sex, grade point average, having friends or boy/girlfriends who smoked, monthly income, and alcohol drinking behavior (p-value<0.001). The social and environmental factors significantly correlated to smoking behavior were having family members who smoke (p-value<0.223) and childhood upbringing (p-value<0.001).
   
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