Ana Grynwald

Date of Award

2004

Degree Name

Nursing

College

College of Health Professions

Type of Degree

M.S.

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Lynne Welch

Second Advisor

Diana Stotts

Third Advisor

Karen Stanley

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference in the importance of selected smoking cessation information to current smokers, former smokers, and nurses in the Appalachian population. There were no instruments found in the literature to assess the perceptions of educational content for smoking cessation, therefore, a Smoking Cessation Education (SCE) survey was developed to measure the perceptions. The conceptual framework for this study was based on the Health Belief Model developed by psychologists Drs. Godfrey M. Hochbaum, S. Stephen Kegeles, Howard Leventhal, and Irwin M. Rosenstock..

Design: The SCE is a ten question survey scored using a five point Likert type scale. Data for the survey was collected within the month of March 2004.

Method: Data was collected from twenty three current smokers, twenty former smokers, and twenty nurses from a major medical center in southern West Virginia. Each subject received the Smoking Cessation Education survey, as well as written instructions on how to complete the instrument, a demographic form, and a consent form.

Findings: The results of this study found the topic of health risks to children with the highest percentage of very important responses among all three groups (91%, n=57). Ninety percent of nurses (n=18) rated risks of smoking and health risks to children of smokers as very important. Ninety five percent of former smokers (n=19) and eighty seven percent of current smokers (n=20) also rated health risks to children of smokers as very important.

Conclusion: This study indicated the topic of health risks to children of smokers as a very important educational topic for nurses and other health care providers to influence smoking cessation. Continuing research is needed to discover and assess other methods for smoking cessation.

Subject(s)

Smoking cessation programs.

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