Factors Related to Smoking among Students at a Vocational Institution in Suphanburi Province

Abstract

Nowadays, many countries in the world have launched the Stop-Smoking Campaigns due to the fact that smoking causes diseases and health problems, particularly in the teenagers. This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed at determining factors related to smoking among students at one vocational institution in Suphanburi Province. The PRECEDE framework and self-efficacy theory were applied as a conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected using questionnaires with the sample size of 290 people and were then analyzed using percentage, frequency, mean, standard deviation, maximum, minimum and Chi-square. The results showed that 55.17% were non-smokers, 27.93% already quitted smoking, and 16.90% still smoked. The average age students began smoking was 14.10 years old, and the minimum was 7 years old. Reasons for smoking were just trying it, stress relief, and friends’ persuasion, respectively. Most of students smoked less than 4 cigarettes per day and smoke at a friend’s house. In addition, 56.15% found that students buy cigarettes with their own money, with an average of around 326 baht per month. Factors related to smoking among the samples were gender, field of study, and self-efficacy of refusing to smoke (p<.05). Recommendations for this research are to setting up a clinic and provision of advices to students for ceasing smoking. Conducting non-smoking campaigns in educational institutions and provision of skills to reject smoking to prevent new smokers in the youth group are aolso recommended.