Types of Smoking Decision Making-Temptation in Adolescents and Related Characteristics

청소년기 흡연의사결정-유혹 유형과 유형별 흡연 관련 특성

Purpose: This study was done to identify types of smoking decision making-temptation in adolescents and characteristics related to type among student smokers. Method: Data collection was done from March to July. 2006. A survey was administered to 275 students in 13 high schools and 15 middle schools in Seoul, South Korea. To identify types and characteristics smoking decision making-temptation in adolescents, cluster analysis using the K-mean method was employed. Characteristics of the influential variables according to the identified types of adolescent smokers were evaluated using ANOVA. Results: Four types of smoking pattern in adolescents were identified: habitual craving (17.7%), nicotine dependence (35.8%), feeblemindedness (28.4%), and self control (18.1%). The score for nicotine dependency was higher in the habitual craving type than any other type (F=11.79, p=.001), while the score for self efficacy for smoking abstinence was higher in the self control type (F=23.06, p=.000). Conclusions: Findings from this study suggest that effective interventions for smoking cessation in adolescents require not only active implementation of nicotine replacement therapy but also development of individualized approaches for each person targeting change in the social environment that may lead to positive smoking decisional balance.