Abstract

This study was conducted to examine if the revised HPM was appropriate to explain smoking quitting behavior. A convenience sample of 400 college students enrolled in the universities located in Seoul and Kyunggi-Inchon province was selected. According to the study results, smoking-specific cognitions and affect included in the study could significantly explain commitment to a plan to quit smoking which was one of the behavioral outcomes in the revised HPM. The study result showed that among predictors, smoking-related affect, perceived benefit of quitting smoking, and perceived self-efficacy significantly explained commitment to a plan to quit smoking, but perceived barriers and interpersonal influences did not. The model for smoking quitting behavior formulated with smoking-specific cognitions and affect was statistically significant and the model explained 48 percent of variance in smoking quitting behavior. More specifically, it was shown that among smoking-specific cognitions and affect, only smoking-related affect, interpersonal influences, and perceived self-efficacy were the significant predictors to explain smoking quitting behavior. Smoking-related affect was the most important variable to explain smoking quitting behavior, followed by perceived self-efficacy. However, the influence of commitment to a plan to quit smoking on smoking quitting behavior was not statistically significant. Lastly, the model for smoking quitting behavior formulated with individual characteristics and experiences could explain 13 percent of the variance in behavior to quit smoking. Although the model is statistically significant, only the number of quitting attempts had significant and direct influence on behavior to quit smoking, while the remaining variables did not.