The Effects of a Smoking Prevention Program on Knowledge and Attitude toward Smoking and Smoking Coping Behavior among Preschool Children

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was to evaluate the effects of a smoking prevention program among preschool children. METHOD: This study used a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 141 preschool children aged 6 or 7 at two childcare centers in Jecheon City, who were divided into an experimental group (n=66) and a control group (n=75). The smoking prevention program was applied through 9 sessions and 30 minutes per session. Surveys were conducted before and after the smoking prevention program to examine the preschoolers' knowledge and attitude toward smoking and smoking coping behavior. RESULTS: There were significant differences between the experimental group and the control group in smoking knowledge (t=-2.02, p=.044) and smoking coping behavior (t=-2.01, p=.047), but smoking attitude (t=-1.20, p=.230) was not statistically significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: As a result, further research is needed into the long term effects of a smoking prevention program on the future behavior of preschoolers so that the health benefits of early prevention can be quantified. It is necessary for parents to participate actively in influencing preschoolers' attitudes and behaviors with regard to the avoidance of smoking.