Knowledge of and Attitudes toward Cigarette Smoking among Male In-School Adolescents in Ibadan South-East Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria

                @article{CRSIJ26000443,
                  author = {Adetutu Alice Adelusi, Oladiran Isaiah Olagunju},
                  title = {Knowledge of and Attitudes toward Cigarette Smoking among Male In-School Adolescents in Ibadan South-East Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria},
                  journal = {Cosmo Research and Science International Journal},
                  year = {2026},
                  volume = {2},
                  number = {2},
                  pages = {637-649},
                  issn = {3108-1584},
                  url = {https://cosmorsij.com/published/CRSIJ26000443.pdf},
                  abstract = {Background: Smoking usually begins in adolescence, and what young people know and believe about cigarettes influences whether they start. Local evidence from Ibadan South-East Local Government Area (LGA), Oyo State, Nigeria, is scarce. Objectives: To determine the level of knowledge about the harmful effects of cigarette smoking and its association with socio-demographic characteristics, and to assess attitudes toward cigarette smoking among male in-school adolescents. Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional survey of 400 male students aged 10–19 years from 10 secondary schools, selected through a three-stage sampling procedure. Data were collected with an interviewer-supported structured questionnaire and analysed in SPSS version 23 using frequencies, percentages, and Pearson’s chi-square test (significance at p < 0.05). Results: The mean age was 16.27 ± 1.74 years. Most respondents knew that smoking causes nicotine addiction (92.5%), premature aging (91.0%), lung cancer (90.5%), respiratory problems (88.5%), heart disease (87.3%), and stroke (79.0%). Only 34.0% linked smoking to tooth decay, 50.8% believed that stopping brings no benefit to chronic smokers, and 40.8% considered occasional smoking harmless. Overall, 60.3% had good knowledge and 58.5% had a positive attitude toward smoking prevention. Although 87.5% would refuse a cigarette offered by friends, 61.0% saw smoking as a personal choice that harms no one else. Support was high for banning smoking in public places (89.8%) and in schools (87.0%) and for higher cigarette taxes (81.3%). Knowledge was significantly associated with class (χ² = 15.648, p = 0.001), with only 24.0% of SSS 3 students having good knowledge, but not with age, religion, or family type. Conclusions: Male in-school adolescents in Ibadan South-East know the major harms of smoking but hold persistent misconceptions about cessation, occasional smoking, oral health and second-hand smoke. School-based tobacco education should target these specific gaps, with particular attention to final-year students.},
                  keywords = {Cigarette smoking, adolescents, knowledge, attitude, school health, Nigeria},
                  month = {September}
        }