Tobacco Smoking Status and Perception of Health among a Sample of Jordanian Students

Sukaina Alzyoud, Khalid A. Kheirallah, Linda S. Weglicki, Kenneth D. Ward, Abdallah Al-Khawaldeh and Ali Shotar
Additional contact information
Sukaina Alzyoud: Department of Community and Mental Health, Faculty of Nursing, Hashemite University, P.O. Box 150459, Zarqa 13115, Jordan
Khalid A. Kheirallah: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid 22110, Jordan
Linda S. Weglicki: College of Nursing, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Kenneth D. Ward: Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152, USA
Abdallah Al-Khawaldeh: Department of Community and Mental Health, Faculty of Nursing, Hashemite University, P.O. Box 150459, Zarqa 13115, Jordan
Ali Shotar: Department of Legal Medicine, Toxicology and Forensic science, School of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), P.O. Box 3030, Irbid 22110, Jordan

IJERPH, 2014, vol. 11, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: Limited data are available from Jordan examining patterns of tobacco use among adolescents, or how use is related to health perceptions. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of tobacco use and to assess the relationship between use and health-related perceptions. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of 11–18 year old school students from a major governorate in Jordan. Using a multistage random sampling 1050 students were selected. Students were categorized as non-smokers, cigarette-only smokers, waterpipe-only smokers, or dual smokers. Rates of waterpipe-only and cigarette-only smoking were 7% and 3%, respectively, and were similar for boys and girls. In contrast, the rate of dual use was much higher than for single product use and was double in girls compared to boys (34% vs. 17%). Dual-smokers were significantly more likely to think that it is safe to smoke as long as the person intends to quit within two years compared to non-smokers, and had lower self-rated health status than other groups. This is the first study among Arab adolescents to document high rates of dual tobacco use, especially pronounced among girls. The study findings have significant implications for designing tobacco smoking prevention programs for school health settings.

Keywords: Jordan; tobacco; adolescent; smoking; perception; health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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