Preventive behaviors on secondhand smoke among secondary school pupils, Ratchaburi province

Abstract

            The descriptive study aimed to assess secondhand smoke (SHS) preventive behaviors and its related factors among secondary school pupils, Ratchaburi province. Self-administered questionnaire was obtained from 841 secondary school pupils  from 11 schools. Descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Bootstrap, Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression at a 5% significance level were applied for data analysis.

            Results shown 72.2 percent of the pupils had ever received SHS. The most common source, 70.5 percent, was from other nearby person at home followed by their family member smoking at home 43.8 percent. An average of score (from total 100 score) of SHS preventive behaviors from nearby persons was 28.36 (S.D=18.58). The most common preventive behavior was walk away from smokers 64.2 percent. Factors significantly related to SHS from nearby persons preventive behavior were intrapersonal factors, there were sex and knowledge of nonsmoking places (p<0.001) and interpersonal factor, there was dialogues about harmfulness of SHS or tobacco with family members. Those factors were able to explain the variation of secondhand smoke preventive behavior 13.1% (R²=0.131). The Ministry of Public Health and related organizations should augment information for students about nonsmoking places and preventing secondhand smoke, promote SHS-free home, quit smoking, and encouraged to develop communication skills about the harm of SHS to parents and students.