An Intelligent Approach to Reducing Tobacco Smoking among Adolescents: Health Risk Expert Approach

Tobacco smoking causes health challenges both nationally and internationally, and there is need to reduce tobacco consumption. To achieve this, the researchers used Case Based Reasoning (CBR) methodology and Nearest Neighbour (NN) similarity technique in developing a web-based expert system to assist in reducing the rate of tobacco consumption among adolescents. In the cause of the research, 20 related diseases to tobacco smoking were identified and stored in the knowledge based; these data were used to test 3 new cases and their inherent individual level associated to it. The new cases are tuberculosis, laryngeal cancer (throat cancer), and asthma with highest risk values of 1.0, 0.8, and 0.9 respectively. The results provided a procedure to assist adolescents (smokers) minimize tobacco consumption. The system also offers some home remedies to help them deal with nicotine withdrawal syndrome. Therefore, adolescents are advised to quit smoking in order to avoid serious health problems in the future.