Popularizing Social Marketing and Mobilization for a Smoking Habit Prevention Campaign among Grade-8 PNHS Students

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

The increasing trend of smoking among teenagers is alarming as it imposes a grave threat to the health and well-being of young learners. Using the report from a school-based survey conducted among grades 7 to 11 students of Pinaripad National High School, Aglipay, Quirino in 2016 which revealed that grade 8 students have the highest incidence of smoking in the campus, a social marketing and mobilization campaign on smoking habit prevention was initiated. This action research offers a proactive approach to alleviating the worsening problem with smoking. Additionally, learners get the highest benefit from this study as the materials used in the campaign are purposively crafted to bring the behavior change desired among the student-smokers. This also helps teachers curb the behavior of students as smokers tend to sneak out of the classroom to buy cigarettes or take a puff.

METHODS

This study is descriptive qualitative research, specifically action research that employed interviews with the respondents using structured questionnaires after the conduct of the social marketing and mobilization campaign. The researcher conducted a series of learning sessions with the students from Grade-8 Genesis and Jeremiah on topics about smoking. Other materials used in the research include IEC materials such as brochures, PowerPoint presentations, video clips, and questionnaires.

RESULTS

Most of the respondents rated the combination of the three materials: video clip, brochure, and PowerPoint presentation to have the highest rating in terms of usefulness in providing information, changing of one's perspective, and reforming one's behavior toward smoking. In general, the majority of the respondents find the social marketing and mobilization campaign efficient and effective in providing useful information about smoking and in mobilizing the respondents to avoid cigarette smoking for health and practical reasons.

DISCUSSIONS

Extensive implementation of the Republic Act 9211 must be done particularly on banning the merchandise of tobacco products one hundred meters away from any point of the perimeter of the school. Stress problems of the adolescents need to be addressed by providing stress management classes to students which could also be part of a curriculum so learners would not cling into vices such as cigarette smoking and drinking of liquor.