The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: This three-year longitudinal study examined changes in patterns of risk factors and protective factors of smoking initiation and cessation among vocational high school students in Taipei, Taiwan.

Methods: Sixteen vocational high schools in Taipei were included. A total of 1604 students who completed three waves of questionnaires in the three years (2000~2002) were analyzed in this study. Self-administered questionnaires were collected.

Results: Of the 1310 nonsmokers in the 10th grade, 148 students initiated smoking by the 12th grade. For initiators, risk factors, such as peer smoking, peers offering cigarettes, thrill seeking, alcohol use, part-time work, hanging out in risky locations , increased significantly from grade 10 to 12, while protective factors, refusal self-efficacy, anti-smoking attitude, peer and parent disapproval attitude, decreased significantly. Of the 294 smokers in the 10th grade, 76 students quitted smoking by the 12th grade. For quitters, the risk factors decreased and the protective factors increased significantly from grade 10 to 12. In addition, peer smoking, thrill seeking, alcohol use and hanging out in risky locations in grade 10 significantly predict smoking initiation in grade 12, while refusal self-efficacy and anti-smoking attitudes in grade 10 significantly predict smoking cessation in grade 12.