The effect of an educational package on the attitude, self efficacy and tobacco use preventive behaviors of adolescents

Objective (s): The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an educational package on attitude، self efficacy and tobacco use preventive behaviors of adolescents in Zarandieh، Iran. This was a quasi-experimental study. A sample of high school male students was randomly divided into two groups: cases (n=80) and controls (n=80). All cases received an educational intervention in 6 sessions while the controls did not. Data were collected using a questionnaire containing items on attitude، self-efficacy and preventive behaviors at two points in time: before intervention and at 6 months follow-up. The mean age of respondents was 16. 3 (SD = 1. 4) years. Before the intervention، there were no significant differences between cases and controls on smoking and knowledge، attitudes، self-esteem، self-efficacy and preventive behaviors (p>0. 05). However، there were significant differences between cases and controls on all measures including tobacco use after the intervention (p<0. 05). The designed educational package had a good impact on the prevention of smoking behavior among adolescents.