Knowledge and practices of smoking among students of the University of Natal on Durban campus residences.

Abstract

The Health Belief Model developed by Becker ( 1984) cited in Katzenellenbogen et al. ( 1999) guided this study. The model attempts to identify beliefs and the way they may interact to influence individuals' conscious decisions to undertake certain healthrelated actions. "The most important health beliefs that influence actions are thought to be: • The person's perceived vulnerability to a particular condition or illness, • The person' s perceptions of the severity or effects of the condition or illness, • The Person's perception of the efficacy, costs, and benefits of any proposed actions" (Katzenellenbogen, joubert & Karim, 1999: 169). The three points mentioned above guided systematically the whole study as follows: 1. The students' perceived vulnerability to a particular cond ition or illness in this case guided the researcher to describe and to understand students' personal perceptions of the risk of diseases they run by smoking or that they can cause to other people in their surroundings. It was also necessary to find out whether or not non-smokers were aware of the consequences in terms of diseases of being permanently exposed to tobacco smoke. 2. Once smokers as well as non-smokers have agreed that smoking increases the risk of diseases, the following step was to ensure whether or not they continue to neglect and run the same risk. because smoking consequences occur only after a long period of time. 3. The last step was to ensure that students who smoked could actually accept and put into practices some available strategies for giving up smoking. after being sensitised or on their own initiative, in order to remain in good health.