Relationship of Level of Awareness of the Harmful Effects and Addictive Properties of Smoking and Quit Smoking Decision of Smokers

Abstract

This study sought to determine the effect of the level of awareness of the harmful effects and addictive properties of smoking a smoker has on his/her decision to quit smoking in the future. Also, the study aimed to determine if there is a difference in the level of awareness of the harmful effects and addictive properties between the genders of smokers. The review of related literature provided a historical context of smoking and scientific information about the diseases caused by smoking. It also presented current scientific basis of the addiction related to smoking. Smoking behavior of adolescents and young adults in the Philippine setting along with Western health psychology theories were also included. The study was carried out with the use of a questionnaire developed by the researcher from the data taken from the review of related literature. The questionnaire contained questions that focused on two categories. The first category involved questions about the harmful effects of cigarette smoke to the human body. The second category was about the addictive properties of smoking. One hundred (100) respondents were selected to be subjects of the study. It was broken down into fifty (50) males and fifty (50) females. The respondents are all students of the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of the Philippines Manila. They were smokers, regardless of the amount of cigarette smoked and the smoking history of the individual, at the time the survey was conducted. For analysis of the data, the statistical method of Chi-square was used. Aside from this statistical method, computations of the means and standard deviations allowed the discovery of other findings and results. A mean of seventeen (17) points was determined as the passing score. This number reflected a high degree of difficulty of the questionnaire, since it was only forty-three percent (43%) of the total number of points, which is 40. High standard deviations of 6.29 for the sample, 6.82 for the scores of the males, and 5.69 for the scores of the females reflected a wide range of scores. It appeared that the scores ofthe females were more homogenous than those of the male respondents. Fifty-three (53) respondents or 53% of the sample obtained passing scores. Fortyseven (47) respondents or 47%, on the other hand, got failing scores. Despite the latter number of respondents who obtained failing scores, the greater bulk of the respondents chose the yes to quitting response. Eighty-three (83) persons or 83% of the sample favored this future decision, while seventeen (17) persons or 17% chose not to quit smoking in the future. The Chi-square analysis further proved that future decision to quit smoking was independent of the level of awareness of the harmful effects and addictive properties of smoking. The Chi-square obtained value was 0.29. It was below the Chi-square critical value of 2.71 at an alpha level of 0.10. The null hypothesis was accepted. It states that awareness of the harmful effects and addictive properties of smoking will not lead to a future decision to quit smoking. Out of the fifty-three (53) respondents who got passing scores, there were thirty-one (31) or sixty-two percent (62%) male respondents and twenty-two (22) or forty-four percent (44%) female respondents. There were more male respondents who passed than female respondents. At the same time, comparison of the frequencies and percentages of the different correct answers to the questionnaire revealed that the male respondents chose the correct answers more frequently than the female respondents. Ranking of the different answers to items in categories A and B showed this clearly. For the last answer in Category A, there were five (5) or ten percent (10%) male respondents and only one (1) or two percent (2%) of the female respondents who chose the answer. For the least chosen answer in Category B, eight (8) or sixteen percent (16%) male respondents and one (1) or two percent (2%) of the female respondents picked the answer. Chi-square analysis of gender versus test scores revealed a significant Chi-square obtained value of 3.24. This exceeded the expected Chi-square critical value of 2.71 at an alpha level of 0.10. The alternative hypothesis was accepted. It states that gender plays a role in determining awareness of the harmful effects and addictive properties of smoking. This finding proved that there is a difference in the level of awareness of the harmful effects and addictive properties of smoking between the two genders. For the study, it appeared that the males outdid the females. With the results and findings, the objectives of the study were fulfilled. However, the researcher, from the data gathered, encountered the fact that there are a lot more information about the harmful effects and addictive properties of smoking that smokers are unaware of. Twenty-three (23) or fifty-eight percent (58%) of the correct answers to the questionnaire were known by less than fifty percent (50%) of the sample. With this significant finding, the researcher recommends that effective educational and awareness programs be initiated to provide greater awareness on the harmful effects and addictive properties of smoking. To combat the problem of smoking, one must start with prevention. This task can be delegated to the media and schools. At the same time, smokers who are decided on quitting but find difficulty in doing so should be helped. After all, they are also victims of a form of drug addiction, which is addiction to the substance, nicotine. Therefore, rehabilitation programs and centers should be opened and maintained to help these smokers.