Awareness and knowledge of the effects of smoking on oral health, and smoking cessation motivation among high school students in Jakarta

Introduction
The number of adolescent smokers is rising in Indonesia. Awareness and knowledge about the nega­tive effects of smoking could prevent adolescents from smoking. Motivation to stop smoking might predict the likelihood of smoking cessation.

Objectives
The aim of this study was to discover the level of Jakarta adolescents’ awareness and knowledge of the effects of smoking on oral health, and smoking cessation motivation.

Material and methods
An online questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Jakarta using convenient sampling methods among 552 high school students. The relationship between the variables was investigated using simple logistic regression and Spearman’s rho correlation.

Results
Most of the participants (n = 493, 89.3%) were aware that smoking jeopardizes oral health. About 324 (65.72%) participants had little knowledge about the specific effects of smoking on oral health. Female participants, never smoking participants, smoking for a short period, or those having the intention to quit smoking were all more likely to be aware than their counterparts. With respect to knowledge, participants who never smoked displayed higher knowledge levels than their peers. The level of smoking cessation motivation was insufficient, with 22 (43.1%) respondents reporting the motivation to quit. No statistically significant difference was found between motivation scores with awareness and knowledge. There were linear correlations between the motivation scores and cessation duration, smoking period, and the intention to quit smoking.

Conclusions
Incorporating oral health education in smoking prevention program among adolescents is recommended. However, more tailored approach is required to help this group of population, who already is nicotine- addicted, to stop smoking.