Beginning
to smoke at an early age is more likely to lead to greater dependency and result
in greater difficulty to quit as an adult. The National Statistical Office
reported an average age of Thai smokers started to smoke between 15 and 18.Unfortunately, there is no current data
regarding Thai smokers at the primary school level (students under the age of
13) and, without such data, it is difficult to predict developments and plan
campaigns that may have significant bearing on future health, socio-environmental, and legal
problems.
METHODS
The
study was of a quasi-experimental, controlled group, pre-/post-test design. There
was a total of 155 participants in the study, 65 in the study group and 90 in
the control group. All participants completed a questionnaire prior to the
study that constituted the pre-test. The study group then underwent tobacco
control campaign activities for 30 minutes and all participants then completed
the questionnaire again (post-test). All data were evaluated via descriptive
and analytical statistics.
RESULTS
Regarding
knowledge related to dangers of cigarettes, the finding revealed mean pre-test score
was significantly higher than the mean post-test score in the study group
(p<0.001). Also, comparisons between the
study and control groups revealed that the mean post-test score of the study
group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p=0.011). The mean
score for attitudes between the study and control groups were not significantly
different (p=0.081).Nine school students
smoked and each indicated that their fathers were smokers. The leading influences
on the decision to smoke were friends, parents, and self-image (28.57%, 28.57%,
and 21.42% respectively).
CONCLUSION
The
participants had good knowledge about and attitudes towards tobacco
consumption. Nevertheless, some influential factors regarding cigarette smoking,
such as parents and friends, need to be addressed. Further investigations of
the current situation of primary school students’ tobacco consumption, good
preventive education, and smoking cessation programs are recommended to reduce
young students’ use of cigarettes.
