Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of perceived parental attitudes on children's discernment of cigarettes. The study sample consisted of 250 children attending grades 6, 7 and 8. Data were collected via a socio-demographic survey questionnaire, the Parental Attitude Scale (PAS) and the Decisional Balance Scale (DBS). Data analysis covered percentages, medians, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests using a statistical package. There were 250 participants; 117 were male, 133 were female. The mean age was 13.1 ± 0.98 for the females and 13.3 ± 0.88 for the males. A statistically significant difference was found in the children's mean scores for 'pros' subscale on the Decisional Balance Scale (DBS) according to perceived parental attitudes (F=3.172, p=0.025). There were no statistically significant differences in the DBS 'cons' subscale scores by perceived parental attitudes. It was determined that while perceived parental attitudes affect children's views on advantages of smoking, they have no effect on children's views on its disadvantages.

Highlights

  • While the spreading of tobacco use slightly decelerated following the declaration by the General Assembly of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that ‘tobacco products are detrimental to health’, cigarette smoking still continues to be one of the most serious global health problems and is one of the six leading causes of death. (Akdur, 2009)

  • A significant difference was found in the mean score for Decisional Balance Scale (DBS) pros sub-dimension according to parental attitudes (p=0.25, Table 1)

  • Following advanced data analysis to determine which groups the difference stemmed from, statistically significant differences were found in children who perceived their parents as democratic and those who viewed them as authoritarian (p=0.37); children who perceived their parents as democratic and those who viewed them as neglectful (p=0.010) and those who viewed their parents as permissive and ones who perceived them to be neglectful (p=0.45)

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Summary

Introduction

While the spreading of tobacco use slightly decelerated following the declaration by the General Assembly of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that ‘tobacco products are detrimental to health’, cigarette smoking still continues to be one of the most serious global health problems and is one of the six leading causes of death. (Akdur, 2009). In Turkey, 33.4% of people who are 18 years old and above use tobacco products (WHS, 2012). While 47% of males and 15% of females who are fifteen years or older smoke, 14% of the males and 7% of females in the 13-15 age bracket use tobacco products (WHS, 2012). Studies indicate an increasing prevalence of cigarette use and official figures show that people start smoking before the age of 10. The distribution of smokers according to socio-economic status is similar in most countries across the globe (WHO, 2002; 2007; WHS, 2012) These findings indicate the necessity for effective action in dealing with the harmful effects of cigarettes. A statistically significant difference was found in the children’s mean scores for ‘pros’ subscale on the Decisional Balance Scale (DBS) according to perceived parental attitudes (F=3.172, p=0.025). Conclusions: It was determined that while perceived parental attitudes affect children’s views on advantages of smoking, they have no effect on children’s views on its disadvantages

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