Abstract
A survey on antismoking law compliance in Nongkhai municipal area This quasi-experimental study aimed to find a local preventive-smoking model for the younger group of under 18 year-old. The study was done in 5 villages at Serm Sub-district Ponpisai District, Nongkhai Province, Thailand. Three study-stages was organized; (i) surveying the locals’ altitude (including the group of under 18 year-old), as to search critical smoking accessibility factor, (ii) establishing a meeting(excluding the 18 year-old group) as to achieve a collectively smoking prevention model, and lastly(iii)evaluating such that proposed model. The survey results showed the critical smoking accessibility factor was “no hazard understanding”. Only 60.6 % of the younger understood health hazard and related smoking prohibited law. The health volunteers, teachers, cigarette retailers sub-district members, abbots, polices and students knew new-enforcement smoking law and regulation by only 61.5 %, 62.5 %, 78.9 %, 66.7 %, 33.3 %, 61.9 % and 67.2 % respectively. The result also showed 79.4 % of the students used to buy cigarette. Other smoking accessibility factors were “new try”, broken home, elder-like smoking, no recreation activity available, no rigorous no-smoking campaigns done by local institutions, and lastly, influential from friends. The no-smoking campaigns introduced by the study were through education mediums as smoking causing health-hazards. These were distributed via several means. Such those non-smoking campaigns included “the 18 year-old prohibited” signs adhered at the cigarette shops, leaflet, radio spots, local anti-smoking clubs, playground sport arrangement, healthy student for not smoking competitions, no-smoking classrooms, smoking-hazards warning delivered by abbots, 216 students swore for not smoking, monthly cigarette shops’ inspection by polices and yearly budget put forward for no-smoking campaigns by sub-district administrative offices. The achievement by the study campaigns could have the more number of students getting to know the non-smoking law increased from 26.6% to 44.1%. The smoking rate reduced from 31.1% to 20.9%. Persons who gave up smoking during the campaign project were 42.5%, and buying cigarette habits decreased from 79.4% to 45.6%. General public smoking rate from 27.0% could reduce to finally quit of smoking 19.5%. The model applied by this study was genuinely from grass-root initiatives, any achievements was then originated from community-based practice. On-going activities following the model applied remained next to be evaluated.
