The effect of education on knowledge and attitude towards the harmful effects of smoking among students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran

Background and Aims: Considering the relatively high prevalence of smoking among students and the role of knowledge and attitude in smoking prevention, the present study aimed to determine the effect of education on knowledge and attitude towards the harmful effects of smoking among students. Materials and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental interventional study conducted in 2016 among 130 dormitory students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran (65 students in each intervention and control groups). Data gathering tool was a demographic and background characteristics questionnaire. A valid and reliable questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge and attitude towards the harmfulness of smoking that was completed in two stages before and three months after the intervention. In this study, education was performed using Social Networks and educational messages were sent to the students of the intervention group in 6 sessions. The collected data were analyzed through the proportional tests and SPSS software version 16. All stages of the study were conducted according to moral standards. Results: There was no significant difference between demographic and background variables before the intervention and also the mean scores of knowledge and attitude towards the harmfulness of smoking in both groups (p > 0.05). Comparing two groups after the intervention showed that the mean scores of knowledge and attitude towards the harmfulness of smoking have changed significantly in experimental group compared to control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Social networking can be used in educational interventions to promote knowledge and attitude towards the harmful effects of smoking in students.

کلیدواژه ها:

education ، knowledge ، attitude ، prevention ، smoking ، students