title: Smoking-related self-efficacy, beliefs, and intention: assessing factorial validity and structural relationships in 9th-12th grade current smokers.
abstract: Smoking-related self-efficacy and beliefs about the benefits of smoking are consistently related to intention to continue smoking, a common proximal outcome in youth smoking cessation studies. Some measures of these constructs are used frequently in national and state youth tobacco surveys, despite little evidence of validity for high school smokers. Further, the association of the constructs with intention has not been demonstrated in this group. The factorial validity of the measures and the cross-sectional correlations among self-efficacy, beliefs, and intention were examined among 9th-12th grade current smokers (N=2,767, 13.8% reporting smoking >1 cigarette in the previous 30 days; mean age 16.2; 61.2% white, 6.2% Black, 17.8% Hispanic, 5.0% Asian, 3.5% other; response rate 70%) from a convenience sample of 22 Texas schools. Confirmatory factor analyses supported evidence of factorial validity for the scales in this sample. Structural equation modeling analyses suggested youth smokers have low confidence in their ability to avoid smoking, believe smoking offers emotional or social benefits, and intend to continue smoking. The scales assess smoking-related self-efficacy, beliefs, and intention in this sample. Prospective studies are needed before intervention development implications are suggested.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, 7000 Fannin Street, Suite 2500, Houston, TX 77030, USA. ksterlin@uic.edu
authors.forename: Kymberle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Landrum Sterling
authors.forename: Pamela M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Diamond
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dolan Mullen
authors.forename: Unto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pallonen
authors.forename: Kentya H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: Alfred L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: McAlister
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D003469:Culture; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires