[[alternative]]A Study on Tobacco Control and Relevant Factors in Junior High Schools in Northern Taiwan

[[abstract]]The purpose of this study is to investigate the status quo of tobacco control in junior high schools in northern districts. The correlations between backgrounds of the schools, administrative management of tobacco control, tobacco control service and tobacco control education will be explored. Based on the objective of the study and domestic and overseas related literature, a “questionnaire survey of the status quo and relevant factors of tobacco control in junior high schools in northern Taiwan” was formulated and sent by mail to collect data from 210 junior high schools in five counties and cities, including Taipei City, Taipei County, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County. A total of 132 copies was retrieved with a total recall ratio of 62.9%. Results of the study are listed as follows: 1.Backgrounds of schools: Most of the stores near schools sell tobacco products to students. Tobacco control in schools tends to be positive. 2.Administrative management of tobacco control: Only half of the schools have specific regulations against the faculty and visitors smoking on campus. It is found a soft approach is usually the means taken by deans of studies when students are caught smoking. Preventive actions against students’ smoking taken by the management are quite good. 3.Tobacco control service: Over 80% of the schools provide tobacco control service like follow-ups on individual cases, a dedicated line for smoking cessation, resources and manuals on smoking cessation and consultations on quitting smoking. 4.Tobacco control education: More than half of the teachers use media and team reviews for tobacco control teaching. 30 to 40% of the teachers use role play and experimentation methods. Only 10% of the teachers use games. 5.Correlations between backgrounds of the schools, administrative management, service and education of tobacco control: Schools participating in tobacco control related programs often adopt a soft approach to management of smoking students and hold diversified promotion activities against tobacco hazards, which earns them better comments on tobacco control and management. Besides, they also provide various types of tobacco control service. Schools with fewer smoking faculty have more regulations on tobacco control and offer more methods for campus innovation. A softer approach is usually taken for management of smoking students. The measures taken by deans of studies against smoking are better, too. Personnel that participate in tobacco control service activities from schools having a lower rate of smoking students are more diversified and teachers of health education adopt a variety of teaching methods. For the schools that have a better school spirit against tobacco hazards as a whole, the management takes more actions to prevent students from smoking and provides a greater variety of tobacco control service. According to the results of the survey, it is suggested resources should be available, sustainable management and promotion of tobacco control related programs shall be enhanced, parents of the students and people from communities should be encouraged to take part in activities at school and statutory regulations ought to be promulgated and practiced for the benefit of tobacco control tasks on campus.