PURPOSE
This study examined the awareness and attitudes of parents of 5th and 6th graders toward own children smoking.
METHOD
The participants were 766 parents of 5th and 6th graders in 11 elementary schools located in J city. Data were collected through questionnaires, which were constructed to include parents' recognition of harms to their own children cause by smoking, factors which influence their children to smoke, and parental supportive strategies to prevent smoking.
RESULT
The percentage of parents who answered that they did not know if their children were smoking was 94.8%, while the percentage of parents who answered that they knew that their children were smoking was 3.5%. Only 30% of parents had actually spoken with their children about the dangers of smoking. The mean parental recognition of the dangers of smoking was 3.16 points. Parental strategy for preventing and prohibiting smoking with the higher mean scores included forbidding children from entering bars and nightclubs which had the highest scores at 3.55 points; forbidding the sale of cigarettes to children was next at 3.54 points.
CONCLUSION
To prevent children from smoking, the role and attitude of parents is crucial. But the study results show that the role of parental guidance in preventing underage smoking was insufficient and under appreciated. Therefore, more systematic educational programs on preventing underage smoking are essential for parents.
