Cigarette Smoking Based on Prototype Willingness Model in Male High School Students

Background: Cigarette smoking by adolescents is increasing and being popularized. However, when smoking is initiated at a young age, the risks of heavy smoking increases. Objectives: The aim of this study was to predict smoking based on the prototype Willingness model in male high school students of Bandar Abbas, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 422 students were selected through the multistage sampling method. Constructs of Prototype Willingness Model were measured by a questionnaire. The items for measuring the prototype Willingness model constructs were designed on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Out of 422 questionnaires that were distributed among students, 394 questionnaires were filled out completely and analyzed (response rate = 93.4%). Data were analyzed by the SPSS 19 software. To analyze the chance of smoking experience throughprototype/willingness model constructs, binary logistic regression was used. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 16.4 years (SD = 1.1), ranging from 14 to 18 years. Overall, 15.2% of subjects had smoking experience. Intention to not smoke, willingness to smoke, and negative attitude toward smoking were predictors of smoking experience. Negative attitude toward smoking and intention to not smoke were negative predictors and willingness to smoke was a positive predictor of smoking experience. Willingness to smoke in comparison to other variables was a stronger predictor for smoking experience (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Willingness to smoke increased the chance of smoking experience more than the intention of smoking. To prevent smoking in adolescents, it is recommended that they should be taught regarding refusal skills of cigarettes.