A Study on the Assertive Behavior Among Non-smoking College Students Under Secondhand Smoke Exposure

Abstract

This study was performed to investigate the factors related to assertive behavior among non-smoking college students under secondhand smoke exposure. Data were collected from 246 non-smoking college students at one university in B city from October to November, 2011 and analyzed by multiple logistic regression. The factors related to assertive behavior were men(OR 3.173, 95% CI 1.676-6.005), with another smoker in household(OR 1.679, 95% CI 1.056-2.983), high level of perceived benefit(OR 2.821, 95% CI 1.044-7.623), high level of social influence(OR 3.753, 95% CI 1.845-7.634), high level of self efficacy(OR 4.140, 95% CI 2.159-7.941). It is necessary to develop and evaluate the health promotion program for enhancing of assertive behavior of non-smoking college students regarding of perceived benefit, social influence and self efficacy.

Factors Influencing Exposure to Secondhand Smoke: Passive Inhalation in Student Nurses

“…Variables that were statistically significant as risk factors for positive SHS exposure included exposure to SHS in the past 7 days ( p < 0.01) and asking a nearby smoker to extinguish their cigarette ( p < 0.05). In this study, 25.5% of subjects experienced asking someone to extinguish their cigarette, which is lower than previous reports of 56.1% and 62.4% [12,15]. This may indicate low levels of assertive behavior among nursing college students.…”

“…In Korea, policies related to no-smoking zones within schools are outlined by the National Health Promotion Act; however, the lack of funding and human resources makes it difficult to practically implement these norms [15]. In this study, there were no significant differences among schools with and without restrictions.…”

“…These policies can also enable the assertive behavior of asking a smoker to extinguish their cigarette as adherence to public rules for non-smoking become more widely accepted in the general population. Additionally, the level of adherence by smokers to no-smoking zones was found to correlate with the response of non-smokers to those smoking in no-smoking zones [15]. As assertive behavior has reported to have a 25% power for predicting adolescent health [30], assertive behavior is expected to influence the health behaviors and choices of college students as they enter early adulthood.…”

“…Previous studies on SHS exposure have generally focused on subjective reports of study participants regarding their exposure to SHS [12,15], most lack quantitative measurements of the actual exposure to SHS. Quantitative measurements of SHS exposure include biomarkers, such as cotinine in hair and urine, and nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone in urine.…”

Gone with the Wind

“…Previous studies on the exposure to SHS have generally focused on the subjective reports of study participants regarding their exposure to SHS [9]. Most studies lack the quantitative measurement of biomarkers of exposure to SHS such as cotinine, and nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone in urine.…”