• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.223-230
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• 2009

Objectives : This study was conducted to validate self-reported smoking among high school students using urinary cotinine. Methods : A self report of smoking behavior was collected together with urine sample for cotinine analysis from 130 male and female students in two vocational high school students in November, 2007. Validity and agreement between self-reported smoking and urinary cotinine was analyzed with STATA 9.0 for different definitions of current smokers, and frequent and daily smokers. Urinary cotinine concentration was measured by the DRI Cotinine Assay for urine (Microgenics Corp., Fremont, CA) on Toshiba 200FR. The cut-off point of urinary cotinine was 50 ng/dl. Results : The concentrations of urinary cotinine were significantly different according to the frequency and amount of smoking. Sensitivity and specificity was 90.9% and 91.8% respectively, and the Cohen s kappa value was 0.787 among the current smokers who smoked at least one day during one month preceding the survey. The comparable high sensitivity, specificity, and kappa value were shown also among the other definitions of current smokers, that is, subjective smokers, and weekly smokers. Conclusions : The results showed the high validity of self-reported smoking among high school students. However, due to the small sample size and limitation of the participants, it is cautious to generalize the results to overall high school students.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.59-66
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• 2009

Objectives : This study was performed using a longitudinal approach to explore the predictors for current smoking among male high school students. Methods : Baseline data was collected in May 2004 through a self-administrated questionnaire completed by 607 male students in a technical high school in Daegu city, Korea. Subsequently, their smoking behaviors were followed one year after. Among the 544 followed participants, data for 439 non-smokers in the first year was used in longitudinal analysis. Current smokers were defined as those respondents who had smoked one or more cigarettes within the 30 days preceding the survey. Several potential predictors for smoking were investigated including smoking history(never, experimental, former smoker), sociodemographic factors, environmental factors, attitudes toward smoking, and behavioral factors. Logistic regression was used to predict smoking with SPSS ver. 12.0. Results : According to multiple logistic regression analysis, those students who were more likely to smoke after one year were former smokers(OR: 2.12, 95% CI=1.01-4.44), current drinkers(OR: 2.55, 95% CI=1.33-4.89), who had four or five smokers among five best friends(OR: 3.43. 95% CI=1.14-10.30). In addition, those who had smokers among family members besides parents or siblings(OR: 1.66, 95% CI=0.92-2.98), exhibited a high level of subjective stress(OR: 1.77, 95% CI=0.96-3.26), or had a very good relationship with friends(OR: 1.93, 95% CI=0.99-3.75) were also more likely to smoke albeit with marginal statistical significance(p<0.1). Conclusions : A smoking prevention program aimed at high school students may be more effective with due consideration of the predictors highlighted in this study. However, further studies with larger sample size and various target populations are necessary to find potential predictors not found in this study but suggested in other longitudinal studies.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.446-457
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between family members and adolescent boys smoking. The data were evaluated by frequency analysis, 𝑥² test and logistic regression analysis using 27,276 people who responded to the 14th(2018) Korean Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Among male students, the nonsmoking rate was 91.5% and the smoking rate was 8.5%(2.5% of occasional smoking and 6.0% of frequent smoking). The study results showed that the smoking status of male students was varied significantly according to the number of smokers among the family members(p<0.001). Meanwhile, smoking based on the characteristics of socio-demographic factors was affected by grades, school records, economic status, and parents' educational background(p<0.001). Smoking by health factors showed a significant difference in alcohol consumption, suicidal thoughts, depression experiences, stress recognition, frequency of breakfast consumption, level of fatigue after sleep, and subjective perception of health(p<0.001). Male smokers were more likely to smoke when two family members smoked than only one(p<0.001). These results confirmed that smoking in boys was affected by the smoking status of family members and suggested that the smoking cessation program of family smokers can be effective in designing smoking cessation prevention and smoking cessation projects.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.282-288
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• 2005

Purpose: This study was to verify the effects of a smoking cessation program for adolescents. Method: This study was designed to use one group with one pre-test and two post-tests. One post-test was done immediately after the completion of the program and the other after eight weeks. The subjects were 21 male high school students who were smokers when this study was carried out. The smoking cessation program consisted of 5 sessions with smoking cessation education and e-mail service after the program. Variables in this research were nicotine dependency (using Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire) and self-efficacy. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results: Immediately after the program and eight weeks later, nicotine dependency for continuous smokers decreased significantly (after the program: Z=-2.319, p=.020, eight weeks later: Z=-1.999. p=.046) and self-efficacy increased significantly (after program: Z=-3.024. p=.002. eight weeks later: Z=-2.381. p=.017). Conclusions: The smoking cessation program was effective in decreasing nicotine dependency in the continuous adolescent smokers and in increasing their self-efficacy, Further study needs to be made with a lager number of smoking adolescents using control group design.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.207-213
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• 2001

Objectives: We surveyed the prevalence of smoking among the adolescent population and analysed the correlation of the two exposure biomarkers-concentration of blood cadmium and urinary cotinine-to the smoking status. Methods: Subjects were 193 middle and high school students in Chungnam province. Blood cadmium and urinary cotinine were compared by sex and smoking status. Smoking status were classified by either the concentration of urinary cotinine or subjective answering as a smoker in the questionnaire. Results: Smoking prevalence was 24.6%, 36.2% and 6.7% among all subjects, male and female subjects, respectively. Average smoking amount was 17.5 and 1.5 cigarettes per month among the male subjects and female subjects, respectively. Mean concentration of urinary cotinine among the male subjects was $135.57{\mu}g/{\ell}$, and that of female subjects was $116.59{\mu}g/$. Direct smokers showed higher concentration of urinary cotinine than those of indirect smokers, and subjects with higher urinary concentration showed higher prevalence of smoking, too. Mean concentration of blood cadmium was $0.0572{\mu}g/d{\ell}$ among the male subjects, and $0.0693{\mu}g/d{\ell}$ among the female subjects. Among the male subjects, both exposure biomarkers showed significant correlation to the smoking status, but among the female subjects urinary cotinine did not show significant correlation to the smoking status. Conclusion: Concentrations of these two biomarkers suggested that this population had significantly high evironmental tobacco smoking(ETS) and efficient stop-smoking programs to reduce ETS should be directed to this population.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.97-105
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• 2008

Purpose : To investigate major characteristics influencing on adolescent smoking in Korea. Method : The subjects were 431 students (298 male and 133 female) enrolled in the non smoking program at Seoul School Health Promotion Center from March 2006 to February 2007. The survey was done about motivation of smoking, the way of getting cigarettes and frequency, chi-square test, and t-test by SAS package 8.1 were used to analyze the data. Result : Total 431 subjects were composed of 49.2% middle school students, 50.8% high school students. The middle school students who smoke 1 to less than 10 cigarettes per day were 56.1% and 10 to less than 20 cigarettes per day 26.7%, while high school students were 46.8% and 44.1%. 73.1% of male, and 76.9% of female students selected the cigarettes depending on taste and fragrance. The places of buying cigarettes were supermarkets 67%, convenience stores 19.4%, small stores 11.8%. A high percentage of students answered they did not have to show ID when they bought cigarettes(“rarely checked the ID” 25.2% of male and 30.8% of female, ”did not checked at all” was 10.9% male and 9.6% female). The ratio of spending money on buying cigarettes was 38.8% and 35.6% in male and female middle school, and 37.9% and 27.2% in male and female high school. Conclusion : Findings of this study suggests the constituting of strong social regulations to protect youth from smoking.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.249-254
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• 2006

Objectives: This study was conducted to examine the factors related to the perceived peer smoking prevalence for adolescents. Methods: A self-administrated questionnaire was administered to 352 students in a technical high school in Kangwon Province in May, 2002. The questions included in the questionnaire were concerned with the estimated number of smokers among ten students of the same grade in their school, the sociodemographic characteristics, the smoking-related behaviors and attitudes, and the smoking-related environments. All the students had their expiratory carbon monoxide level measured with EC50 Micro-Smokerlyzer? to verify their smoking status. Multiple regression analysis was applied for data analysis using Windows SPSS 11.5. Results: The former and current smokers overestimated the peer smoking prevalence. Multiple regression analysis for estimating the peer smoking prevalence for the male showed that the perceived smoking prevalence was higher in the female students than in the male students, higher in those students whose mothers had a higher educational level, who had smoked more frequently, who had more best friends smoking, and who had a higher actual smoking rate of the class. For estimating the peer smoking prevalence for the female, the perceived smoking prevalence was higher in the female students than in the male students, higher in those who smoked more frequently, whose five best friends smoked, who had higher actual smoking rate of the class, and who had smoking siblings. Conclusions: This study showed that a higher perceived peer smoking rate is related with their own smoking history and smoking frequency, the smoking related environment, and gender. Smoking prevention and smoking cessation programs need to focus on correcting the falsely perceived smoking prevalence.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.283-291
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• 2010

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a prediction model for future smoking intention among Korean adolescents aged 13 to 15 in order to identify the high risk group exposed to future smoking. Methods: The data was collected from a total of 5940 students who participated in a self-administrated questionnaire of a cross-sectional school-based survey, the 2004 Korea Global Youth Tobacco Survey. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify the relevant determinants associated with intentions of adolescents’ future smoking. Receiver Operation Characteristic (ROC) assessment was applied to evaluate the explanation level of the developed prediction model. Results: 8.4% of male and 7.2% of female participants show their intentions of future smoking. Among non-smoking adolescents; who have past smoking experience [odds ratio (OR) 2.73; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.92- 3.88]; who have intentions of smoking when close friends offer a cigarette (OR 31.47; 95% CI = 21.50 - 46.05); and who have friends that are mostly smokers (OR 5.27; 95% CI = 2.85 - 9.74) are more likely to be smokers in the future. The prediction model developed from this study consists of five determinants; past smoking experience; parents smoking status; friends smoking status; ownership of a product with a cigarette brand logo; and intentions of smoking from close friends’ cigarette offer. The area under the ROC curve was 0.8744 (95% CI=0.85 - 0.90) for current non-smokers. Conclusions: For efficiency, school-based smoking prevention programs need to be designed to target the high risk group exposed to future smoking through the prediction model developed by the study, instead of implementing the programs for all the students.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.3533-3540
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• 2016

Background: Cigarette smoking is one of the leading global causes of premature and preventable death. In Brunei Darussalam, smoking-related diseases have been a primary cause of mortality for the past three decades. Despite the increasing efforts that have been made in recent years to reduce the consumption of tobacco products in Brunei, the prevalence of adolescent smoking cigarette, however has risen alarmingly, from 8.9% in 2013 to 11.4% in 2014, with a higher prevalence found in males (17.8%) than in females (4.8%). In response to the need for more effective smoking prevention programmes in Brunei, this study sought to explore factors that influence Bruneian male adolescents to start and continue smoking. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study using focus group discussions (FGDs) as the data collection method was conducted from October to November 2015. A total of 43 studentss, comprising 31 smokers and 12 non-smokers, aged 13-17 years, from two government secondary schools in Bandar Seri Begawan, participated in six FGDs. Discussions were recorded and translated. Transcripts were entered into NVivo10, before thematic analysis was conducted. Results: We identified three themes under the core construct of 'factors influencing smoking initiation' ('family as teachers', 'overt pressure from peers' and 'perceived smoking has many advantages') and three themes under the core construct of 'factors influencing smoking continuation' ('craving and addiction', 'smoking as a 'social activity' and 'easy accessibility of cigarettes'). Conclusions: Based on the findings, it is recommended that future prevention activities should be embedded in a comprehensive approach, involving all stakeholders within a community, and should be focused towards bringing a change in smoking and parenting behavior of parents, social norms within the culture towards all population levels, and at strengthening the existing non-smoking policies in schools and other public places where young people congregate.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2011

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to explore the influences of adolescents' smoking on the stress level according to gender. Methods: We used the data from the 2008 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between the period of Jan. and Dec. 2008. The target population of this study is 805 adolescents in the 12~19 years old. Results: 22.0% of male adolescents and 11.8% of female adolescents were current smokers. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that stress level was associated with self-reported health status, drinking, and smoking among males. Among females, stress level was associated with BMI. Conclusion: The results of this study would help to develop smoking prevention programs and health promotion strategies for adolescents.