Predicting Factors to Smoking Behaviour Among Workers In Thailand Tobacco Monopoly (TTM.)*

Abstract

This cross-sectional survey research aimed to explore smoking behavior and the capability of
predisposing factors, enabling factors, and reinforcing factors to predict smoking behavior among
workers in Thailand Tobacco Monopoly (TTM.) based on PRECEDE Framework. Questionnaires were
distributed to workers and 534 responses were received. The data obtained were then analyzed by
chi-square test and binary logistic regression.
The findings indicated that 37.5% of workers in Thailand Tobacco Monopoly were cigarette
smokers. The factors that influenced smoking behavior among workers in Thailand Tobacco Monopoly
with statistical significance (p<0.05) comprised of predisposing factors including gender, age, income,
marital status, work patterns, the perception of risk from having illnesses caused by smoking, and
attitudes towards smoking. Enabling factors was found only accessibility to cigarettes. Reinforcing
factors included receiving free cigarettes, having colleagues who smoked, requests to stop smoking
inside houses, and reactions of peers and family members towards smoking. When analyzing the
capability of co-factors to predict smoking behavior, it was found that gender, income, accessibility to
cigarettes, requests to not smoke inside houses, and the reactions of colleagues towards smoking were
able to predict smoking behavior accurately at a rate of 48.9%. The suggestions proposed for practical
implementation in Thailand Tobacco Monopoly are that smoking areas should be properly designated,
enforcement against smoking in non-smoking areas should be enhanced, and there should be services
for helping smokers to quit smoking.