The effect of an educational package on the attitude, self efficacy and tobacco use preventive behaviors of adolescents

Abstract

Objective (s): The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an educational package on attitude, self efficacy and tobacco use preventive behaviors of adolescents in Zarandieh, Iran. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study. A sample of high school male students was randomly divided into two groups: cases (n=80) and controls (n=80). All cases received an educational intervention in 6 sessions while the controls did not. Data were collected using a questionnaire containing items on attitude, self-efficacy and preventive behaviors at two points in time: before intervention and at 6 months follow-up. Results: The mean age of respondents was 16.3 (SD = 1.4) years. Before the intervention, there were no significant differences between cases and controls on smoking and knowledge, attitudes, self-esteem, self-efficacy and preventive behaviors (p>0.05). However, there were significant differences between cases and controls on all measures including tobacco use after the intervention (p<0.05). Conclusions: The designed educational package had a good impact on the prevention of smoking behavior among adolescents.

Keywords

• adolescence
• self-efficacy
• tobacco use