이압요법의 금연 효과 - 흡연 여대생을 중심으로 -

Effects of Auricular Acupressure Therapy on Smoking Cessation for Female University Students

Purpose: This study was to examine the effects of auricular acupressure therapy on smoking cessation for female university students. Method. The research design was a nonequivalent control group nonsynchronized design. Subjects were 60 (Experimental: 30, Control: 30) smoking female university students. The measuring tools were the number of cigarettes smoked per day, dependency on nicotine, and need for smoking. Auricular acupressure therapy, an experimental treatment, was applied 3 times a day, 2 days a week, for 2 weeks. Data was collected from March 2006 to October 2006. Data was analyzed using the SPSS PC+ 12 version. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, $x^2$-test, and Fisher's exact test were used for each aim of this study. Result: The number of cigarettes smoked per day (t=8.63, p=.00), dependency on nicotine (t=18.15, p=.00), and need for smoking (t=14.23, p=.00) significantly decreased in the experimental group by application of auricular acupressure therapy. Conclusion: Auricular acupressure therapy can be a better effective primary nursing intervention on smoking cessation for female university students shown through studies of repetition.