김은경1, 추진아2

1수원과학대학 간호과, 2고려대학교 간호대학


Background: The present study was to apply the Health Belief Model (HBM) to identify factors associated with an assertive behavior of asking smokers not to smoke among college students in Korea when they were exposed to secondhand smoke.
Methods: Data were collected from college students (n=2,061, 66.5% females) at two universities in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. A main outcome measure was the assertive behavior. HBM factors including perceived susceptibility to illness, perceived severity of illness, perceived barrier to the assertive behavior, and cues to action were self-administrated.
Results: The mean of the assertive behavior (range 1-5 points) was 2.20 points with 39.1% never being assertive and 4.2% always being assertive. Based on results of a multiple logistic regression analysis, high levels of perceived severity (odds ratio, OR 2.04, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.40-2.97) and perceived barrier (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.41-2.08) were significantly associated with the assertive behavior, while perceived susceptibility and cues to action were not.
Conclusions: Perceived severity and perceived barrier of the HBM model were significant factors associated with the assertive behavior among college students. Modifying these factors may lead to enhancing the assertive behavior of asking smokers not to smoke when college students were exposed to secondhand smoke.

Keywords: Secondhand smoke, Assertiveness, Behavior, Theoretical models