Smoking behaviors in Iranian male students: An application of transtheoretical model

OBJECTIVE: To investigate selected constructs of the transtheoretical model (TTM) of behavior change regarding smoking behavior among Iranian male students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A convenience sample of 578 smokers and ex-smokers from six universities during December 2009 to June 2010 completed three Persian versions of the short form smoking questionnaire based on TTM, developed by Prochaska, Velicer, and Diclemente. Data were analyzed using SPSS 15. Frequency analysis was conducted to demographic variables. Stages’ differences were assessed with analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by post-hoc multiple comparisons with Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) test. Alpha levels were set at P<0.05. RESULTS: More than half of the subjects were in contemplation stage. The pros of smoking among subjects in the precontemplation stage were significantly higher than those of subjects in the preparation and maintenance stages. Meanwhile; the pros of smoking ratings were significantly higher for the contemplation and preparation stages than for the maintenance stage. Significant mean differences in cons of smoking behavior emerged across the stages of change. However, pros and cons of smoking in the action stage were not significantly different than other stages of change. In line with self-efficacy/temptation construct, the result showed that positive social efficacy, negative affect efficacy, and habit strength were significantly different between the stages of change. CONCLUSION: The results provide support to the advantages of increased self-efficacy and the role of decisional balance for the intervention program development for smoking cessation.