Smoking Behavior and Knowledge of Smoking Hazards among High School Students in Rural Sorong, West Papua

Abstract

Identifying smoking behavior among young people is an important component in reducing the future burden of the tobacco smokingepidemic. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of smoking among high school students in rural Sorong, West Papua. TheGlobal Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) questionnaire was used, with additional questions related to betel nut chewing, vaping, andalcohol consumption. Among 131 high school students, the prevalence of tobacco smoking was 32.8%, predominantly amongmales. A total of 87.8% of students demonstrated good knowledge of the health hazards of tobacco use. Smoking behavior wassignificantly associated with the level of knowledge among students (p<0.05). Notably, 48.9% of students reported betel nut chewing,23.7% reported alcohol consumption, and 10.7% reported having experience with vaping. The prevalence of smoking and otherpotentially addictive substance use was high among high school students in the Klamono District, rural Sorong, West Papua,indicating the need for targeted preventive strategies and public health interventions in the future.