The Effects of Quit Smoking Program on Adolescent Students

Objectives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the short and long term effect of a smoking cessation program for adolescents on their knowledge, attitude, practice, and self-efficacy with regard to quitting smoking. Methods. Two hundred current smokers were sampled and divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group participated in a sixteen-week smoking cessation class. Both groups took post-tests immediately after intervention in order to evaluate the immediate effects. The follow-up tests were administered to evaluation long-term effect at the 32nd week. Results. We found a significant difference in knowledge, attitude, practice, and self-efficacy in the participants. There were significant differences in immediate and retained improvements after the quit smoking program. Conclusion. If the quit smoking program is not employed continuously, due to a prolonged time interval, the efficacy could be reduced. Health education reinforces and has a constant effect on the quit smoking program.