Smoking Addiction among University Students and the Willingness and Self- Efficacy to Quit Smoking

Objective: The study aimed to determine the level of smoking addiction among students and their willingness and self-efficacy to quit smoking and factors affecting them. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 301 students studying in a nursing department between October 2016 and December 2016. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Fagerstr？m Test for Nicotine Dependence, and Self-efficacy/Incentive Factors Scale. In the analysis, descriptive statistics and the chi square test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis variance analysis were used. Results: Among the students, 18.3% were smokers. Of them, 56.4% were mildly dependent in nicotine, 30.9% were moderately dependent, and 12.7% were severely dependent. Males and smokers for ≥5 years constituted the larger portion of these severely nicotine-dependent students (p<0.05). Of the students, 38.2% wanted to quit smoking. The mean score that the students obtained from the Self-efficacy/Incentive Factors Scale was 23.71±5.89. Of the students, those whose mothers had primary school or lower education and those who smoked ≥11 cigarettes per day obtained significantly lower scores in the Self-Efficacy/Incentive Factors Scale (p<0.05). Conclusion: Approximately half of the students were moderately or severely dependent on nicotine, more than one-third of them wanted to quit smoking, and their self-efficacy for quitting smoking was moderate. Therefore, to prevent students from smoking, interventions should be planned through cooperation among institutions