초록
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to suggest effective methods for not only preventing college students from being exposed to smoking but also helping them stop smoking, by examining and analysing a variety of factors related to their smoking behavior. Methods: To accomplish the purpose, this study was carried out using 1,553 valid questionnaires selected from 1,584 questionnaires completed and returned by 1,800 randomly chosen students of 2 colleges and 3 universities in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and Daegu City during the period of April 3 through April 21, 2006. Results: It was turned out that while the total smoking rate of whole students was 52.4% in male students and 9.1% in female students, the smoking rate after their admission to the college was 27.1% in males and 1.5% in females. It was also shown that both the perceived susceptibility and barrier factors of Health Belief Model were statistically significant, and that the perceived seriousness factors were entirely significant in all other variables except the body seriousness. The perceived benefit factors were significant in only the variable that there would not be any improvement in academic performance even after stopping smoking. A relation between smoking and stop smoking program or smoking prevention program showed that the non-smoking rate was significantly high among the college students who participated in such programs while in middle school. When variables having a significant effect on smoking students after their admission were analysed, it was shown that the smoking rate was higher among males than females students, and that the more the number of smoking friends is and the more the number of students thinking that stop smoking would make it difficult to release stress and make friends is, the higher the smoking rate is among students. It is required, therefore, to encourage students to continuously participate in more smoking prevention programs from middle school, and to put an emphasis on a variety of smoking-related illnesses and advantages from non-smoking. Conclusions: Since the current smoking rate among college students is relatively high but most of the smoking students surveyed are ready to actually try to stop smoking, it will be possible to significantly reduce the smoking rate among college students if proper methods are suggested to eliminate barrier factors they face while participating in the stop smoking programs.
