The Effect of Education Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior on the Adoption of Smoking Prevention Behaviors in Female Students at Tonekabon Islamic Azad University in 2018

With the rising prevalence of smoking among university students, coupled with the efficacy of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in smoking prevention, the current study was conducted to assess the effect of education based on the said theory on adopting smoking preventive behaviors among female university students.

This experimental interventional study, conducted in 2018, involved 114 female students of Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon Branch (intervention and control groups, each with 57 students). The study data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the YRBSS 2013, Fishbein, and Ajzen international questionnaire, focusing on the TPB components (intent, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control). The data collection occurred in two stages: Before and one month after the intervention. The educational intervention was delivered in three sessions featuring lectures and group discussion methods. The collected data were analyzed by relevant tests using SPSS software, version 21.

Before the intervention, no significant relationships were observed between preventive behavior measures and the TPB components in the experimental and control groups (P <0.05). However, one month after the intervention, there was a statistically significant increase in the experimental group’s mean scores of all TPB components and preventive behaviors (P<0.05).

Regarding the effectiveness of education based on the theory of planned behavior in reducing the intent to smoke among female students, using this intervention seems to be an appropriate preventive strategy.