Factors Associated with Electronic Cigarette Smoking Behavior Among High School Students in Nakhon Ratchasima Province

Abstract

The Cross-sectional survey research aims to study the factors associated with electronic cigarette smoking behavior of high school students in Nakhon Ratchasima province. The sample consists of 377 students from both lower and upper secondary levels for the academic year 2024, selected using a simple two-stage random sampling method. The research instruments include 1) personal information questionnaire 2) Knowledge about e-cigarettes, with a reliability value of 0.89 calculated using the Kuder-Richardson statistic. 3) Access to e-cigarettes 4) The perception of the harm of e-cigarettes 5) Attitude towards e-cigarettes and 6) Supplementary factors, with reliability measured by Cronbach's alpha statistics yielding values of 0.91, 0.92, 0.89, and 0.86 respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequency, percentages, chi-square tests, Fisher's exact test, and Spearman's correlation.

The research findings revealed that 29.2% of high school students smoke e-cigarettes, with the highest percentage being among lower secondary students at 18.8%. Female students smoke the most at 15.1%. The average age at which they first started vaping is 15.5 years. The youngest age at which someone started experimenting with e-cigarettes is 9 years old. 43.6% of students have an average knowledge score about e-cigarettes at a moderate level (M = 6.54, SD = 0.32). The average score for easy access to e-cigarettes is at a high level (M = 2.28, SD = 0.63). The average score for the perceived severity of e-cigarettes is at a high level (M = 1.98, SD = 0.30). The average score for a positive attitude towards e-cigarettes is at a high level (M = 3.16, SD = 0.44). Factors significantly related to the behavior of high school students smoking e-cigarettes at the 0.05 level are, in order of importance: the source of e-cigarettes (r=.696, p<.001), friends encouraging smoking (r=.429, p<.001), and attitudes towards e-cigarettes (r=.330, p<.001). Suggestions, there should be a program to prevent vaping among high school students by fostering the right attitudes, awareness of the dangers, life skills, and refusal skills to reduce the risk factors associated with accessing e-cigarettes.