Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior in Preventing E-Cigarette Smoking among Junior High School Students in Mueang District, Buriram Province

Abstract

This survey research aimed to study the level of knowledge, attitude and behavior in preventing e-cigarette smoking among lower secondary school students in Mueang district, Buriram province, and the factors related to personal factors, knowledge, attitude and behavior in preventing e-cigarette smoking among students. Samples were 430 students in the lower secondary education system under the Ministry of Education in the academic year 2024. The research instrument was a personal questionnaire on knowledge, attitude and behavior in preventing e-cigarette smoking, with the reliability of the KR-20 test and Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.72, 0.76, and 0.92 respectively. The data were analyzed using percentages, means, standard deviations, Pearson Chi-square tests and Pearson's product moment correlation coefficients.

Results showed that the samples had a low level of knowledge on e-cigarette smoking prevention, while their attitudes and behaviors on e-cigarette smoking prevention were at a high level. Factors that were significantly related to e-cigarette smoking prevention behavior among lower secondary school students at p<0.05 were gender (=9.483), e-cigarette teaching in school (=7.629), knowledge on e-cigarette smoking prevention (r=.162), and attitudes on e-cigarette smoking prevention (r=.099). Therefore, administrators and relevant agencies can use the research results as a guideline for developing activity plans and policies on effective e-cigarette smoking prevention guidelines for students.