Effects of a Perceived Self-efficacy-based Smoking Reduction Program on Participatory Smoking Reduction Behaviors among University Students Addicted to Cigarettes

Abstract

Smoking has immensely hazardous impacts on the body, mind, economy, and society. Cigarettes are the most significant cause of deaths from preventable diseases. This study was quasi-experimental research with one group pretest-posttest design. The main objective was to compare the smoking cessation behaviors of university students before and after participating in a smoking reduction program using perceived self-efficacy theory. The sample group included 20 students enrolled in a university in Chaiyaphum Province. Participants were enrolled using purposive sampling. The research instruments consisted of: 1) a lesson plan based on the theory of perceived self-efficacy which had its content validity verified by 5 experts and having a content validity index of .60; 2) the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), which was translated into Thai which has Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of .86; 3) a simple screening test kit for urinary cotinine.  The data analyzed using descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon signed rank tests and McNemar test. The results revealed that the participants’ mean nicotine addiction level scores (at the .05 level [Z = -2.277, p = .023]) and their urine cotinine test results, (at the .05 level) were significantly lower after participating in the intervention when compared to the results prior to participating in the experiment. The conclusion is that smoking behavior among the university students was reduced. Therefore, this study implies that the program is applicable for students with similar characteristics in other societies or areas to reduce smoking behaviors.