Predictors of Beliefs About Thirdhand Tobacco Smoke Among Adult Individuals

Objective: This study aimed to determine the predictors of the beliefs about thirdhand tobacco smoke among adult individuals. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The study sample consisted of community-dwelling adult individuals living in Türkiye (n=835). The data were collected via a questionnaire and the Beliefs about Thirdhand Smoke Scale between June 10th-July 31st, 2021. The data were analyzed via IBM SPSS v.25.0. Descriptive statistics, student t-test, Mann-Whitney U, One-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression analysis were used to present the data. The statistical significance level was accepted as p<0.05. Results: The mean age was 29.10±9.76, 74.9% were women, 64.8% were homeowners, and 85.3% had not heard about thirdhand smoke before. The total mean score of the Beliefs about Thirdhand Smoke Scale was 4.30±0.64. The total mean score of the Beliefs about Thirdhand Smoke Scale was higher in women, those who were rural residents, who had pre-knowledge about thirdhand smoke, who were non-smokers, who preferred not to be in a smoking-allowed-place, and those who entirely banned smoking in their homes (R2= 0.079, F=7.064, p<0.001). Conclusions: Beliefs about thirdhand smoke among adult individuals were strong. The results of this study will contribute to the studies to be conducted to increase the motivation of community-dwelling adult individuals to quit smoking. Experimental studies should be performed to increase the knowledge and awareness of adults by determining their beliefs about thirdhand smoke.