The Importance of Parental Attitudes and Behavior upon Adolescent Smoking Behavior

Shin, Sung Rae; Kim, Aee Lee

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to find out the relationships between parental attitudes about smoking and parental smoking behavior as factors associated with adolescent's smoking behavior. Data were collected from Nov 20, 1997 to Feb 30, 1998 from 295 male high school students located in the Kyung Gi Do Province. Specific questions for adolescents concerning their parent's attitudes about their smoking, parental smoking behavior and the youth smoking behavior were included. Data were analyzed using a SPSS/PC program for the descriptive and chi-square statistics. Results indicated that parental attitudes are significantly associated with adolescents' smoking, both in behavior and amount smoked. Whereas parental behavior showed difference in means of adolescent's smoking behavior and smoking amount. In conclusion, parental attitudes toward adolescent smoking have a significantly greater effect on both the behavior and on the amount smoked than does parental antismoking educational efforts may find it helpful to include this factor.