The Effects of Educational Program via LINE Application to Smoking Prevention Competency of Junior High School Students

Abstract

Abstract

Smoking affects the physical, psychological, and social aspects of adolescents. Therefore, it is important to prevent smoking among adolescents. This quasi-experimental research study aimed to study the effect of a cigarette education program on smoking prevention competency of junior high school students through LINE application. The smoking prevention competency consisted of knowledge about cigarettes, attitudes toward smoking prevention, and smoking refusal skills. The sample was grade 9 high school students in Phetchaburi Province. The simple sampling method was used to assign one classroom to be an experimental group and the other to be a control group. There were 29 students in each classroom. The duration of this experiment was 4 weeks. Data were collected using the general information questionnaire, a smoking knowledge assessment test, a non-smoking attitude test, and a refusal smoking skill test. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-test independent.

The results showed that the students of the experimental group who received the program had statistically significantly higher scores on knowledge about cigarettes, attitudes toward smoking prevention, and skill in refusing to smoke at p < .001, comparing to those students in the control group. It was concluded that the smoking education program through LINE application had capacity in smoking prevention among junior high school students. Therefore, the junior high school students should receive proper knowledge about cigarettes correctly to prevent new smokers through the LINE application, a channel that allowed for 2-way communication, which was convenient, appropriate, and cost-effective.