Effectiveness of anti-smoking Program among Adolescence at Community-Based School Karachi-Pakistan

Abstract

Introduction: Tobacco smoking is one of the alarming phenomena in different societies which leads different health problems among people day by day. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a prevention program of smoking at a community-based school of Bhittaiabad at Karachi-Pakistan. Methods: The quasi-experimental study conducted at a community-based school of Bhittaiabad Karachi from June to December 2018. Data were collected via, structured questionnaires from 200 secondary school children through consecutive sampling technique studying in grade 8th, 9th and 10th. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was established thoroughly. Participants were approached after signing consent forms both parents. Questionnaires were filled one-week prior of the intervention period. Post-test conducted after fifteen days of the intervention. The intervention period consist of (82) eighty-two hours. Results: In this study, 200 students showed that their level of knowledge increased after the intervention period however, the p-value shows an insignificant result. Moreover, the smoking-related attitude has been significantly observed after an intervention (p-value <0.05). It might be due to the changes in social pressure before and after the intervention session but not depict in the p-value. Besides, it was observed less pressure among those students living with their parents. Conclusion: The study revealed that the smoking hindrance control program significantly improved the knowledge attitude practices among school children related to smoking tobacco. Additionally, this study also recommends that long-term interventional plans should be intended to bring about positive change in the purpose and behavior associated with smoking.