Effect of a Web-Based Educational Program on Prevention of Tobacco Smoking among Male Adolescents: An Application of Prototype Willingness Model

Application of effective strategies for prevention of tobacco smoking in developing countries seems to be necessary. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of web-based educational intervention on prevention of tobacco smoking among male adolescents in Hamadan, Iran based on prototype willingness model (PWM).
In this interventional study, 114male adolescents were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups in Hamadan, west of Iran. Data was collected using a questionnaire, including the PWM constructs and demographic variables. The intervention comprised 11web-based sessions applied in the experimental group during two months. Both groups were followed for six months after the intervention. Data were then analyzed in SPSS18-using chi-squared, independent t-test, paired t-test and Kappa.
After the educational intervention, significant differences were observed in average scores of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intention, prototype and behavioral willingness between the experimental and control groups (P > 0.05). Tobacco smoking was reduced in the experimental group, but this decrease was not statistically significant (P = 0.392).
The results showed that the application of web-based interventions would be considered as an efficient educational strategy for the prevention of possible increase in tobacco smoking among male adolescents