Skip Navigation



Health Education Research Advance Access published online on May 20, 2004
Health Education Research, doi:10.1093/her/cyg077
© 2004 by Oxford University Press
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
19/5/551    most recent
cyg077v1
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Maassen, I. T. H. M.
Right arrow Articles by Joof, B. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Maassen, I. T. H. M.
Right arrow Articles by Joof, B. M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Received May 20, 2003
Accepted November 10, 2003

Original article

Smoking initiation among Gambian adolescents: social cognitive influences and the effect of cigarette sampling

I. T. H. M. Maassen 1, S. P. J. Kremers 1*, A. N. Mudde 2, B. M. Joof 3

1 Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, Universiteit Maastricht, P. Debijeplein 1, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
2 School of Psychology, Open Universiteit Nederland, Postbus 2960, 6401 DL Heerlen, The Netherlands
3 PO Box 81, Banjul, The Gambia

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: s.kremers{at}gvo.unimaas.nl.


  Abstract

In this study, determinants of tobacco use among Gambian youths were examined. A cross-sectional school-based survey was conducted among 282 students, aged 14-18. The potential determinants were derived from the core constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the ASE model. Moreover, various measures of knowledge and media influence were added to the research model. The results show that free cigarette offers by representatives of tobacco companies were mostly responsible for the difference between smokers and non-smokers. Other variables associated with smoking behavior were greater intention to smoke in the future, lower self-efficacy expectations regarding emotional situations, smoking behavior of the respondent's best friend, the mother having a job and the absence of other family members living in the house. Our study supports current efforts to prohibit tobacco advertising and promotions in The Gambia, especially the distribution of free samples. Additionally, we recommend prevention activities in schools and communities to aim at making children less vulnerable to ‘sampling’, increasing their self-efficacy expectations regarding emotional situations and making them aware of the influence of their best friend.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
R. J. Wellman, D. B. Sugarman, J. R. DiFranza, and J. P. Winickoff
The Extent to Which Tobacco Marketing and Tobacco Use in Films Contribute to Children's Use of Tobacco: A Meta-analysis
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, December 1, 2006; 160(12): 1285 - 1296.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
J. R. DiFranza, R. J. Wellman, J. D. Sargent, M. Weitzman, B. J. Hipple, J. P. Winickoff, and for the Tobacco Consortium, Center for Child Healt
Tobacco promotion and the initiation of tobacco use: assessing the evidence for causality.
Pediatrics, June 1, 2006; 117(6): e1237 - e1248.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.