Factors associated with smoking among students: Application of the Health Belief Model

Abstract

Objective (s): Due to an increase in smoking among students, this study aimed to determine factors associated with smoking using the health belief model (HBM) among students living in a medical university dormitory in Tehran, Iran. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study carried out on a sample of 340 undergraduate students. A designed questionnaire based on the health belief model (HBM) was used to collect data. The Data were analyzed by SPSS using appropriate statistical tests. Results: About one in four (n = 81, 23.8%) of students were current smoker, 17.1% (n=58) had experienced cigarette smoking, and 59.1% (n=201) were non-smoker. T- test results showed a statistically significant difference in perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits and perceived self-efficacy (p<0.001) between smokers and nonsmokers, but there was no statistically significant difference between two groups of smoker and non-smoker students in terms of the scores of perceived barriers (p = 0.08). Conclusion: The results showed that health belief model could predict factors that associated with smoking among students. Indeed the model might be applied in smoking preventing programs.

Keywords

• smoking
• students
• hbm