Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2009, 6(1), 321-328; doi:10.3390/ijerph6010321
Article

Parental Smoking and Smoking Status of Japanese Dental Hygiene Students: A Pilot Survey at a Dental Hygiene School in Japan

Toru Naito 1,* email, Koichi Miyaki 2 email, Mariko Naito 3 email, Masahiro Yoneda 1 email, Nao Suzuki 1 email, Takao Hirofuji 1 email and Takeo Nakayama 2 email
1 Department of General Dentistry, Fukuoka Dental College, Tamura 2-15-1, Fukuoka 814-0193, Japan 2 Department of Health Informatics, School of Public Health, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Yoshida-Konoe, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan 3 Department of Preventive Medicine, Biostatistics and Medical Decision Making, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsurumai 65, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 20 November 2008 / Accepted: 16 January 2009 / Published: 19 January 2009
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Tobacco Smoking and Public Health)
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Abstract: This study aimed to determine the frequency of smoking and to explore factors associated with the smoking habits of female students at a dental hygiene school in Japan. Questionnaires regarding cigarette smoking were given to 168 female students. The response rate was 97.6%. The prevalence of smoking, including current and occasional smokers, was 20.3%. Among family members, only the smoking status of their mother significantly influenced the smoking status of the students. The odds ratio for smoking among dental hygiene students whose mothers were smokers in comparison to students whose mothers were not smokers was 5.1 (95% confidence interval 2.1-12.2, p=0.000). Decision tree analysis showed that the smoking habit of dental hygiene students was correlated with their mothers’ smoking history, as well as the smoking status of junior high school teachers, the smoking habits of close friends and a history of participating in a smoking prevention program when in elementary school. The increased smoking rate of young females, including dental hygienists, is a growing problem in Japan. The smoking statuses of dental hygiene students might be closely influenced by their mothers' smoking status.
Keywords: Smoking; smoking prevention; questionnaire survey; decision tree analysis

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Naito, T.; Miyaki, K.; Naito, M.; Yoneda, M.; Suzuki, N.; Hirofuji, T.; Nakayama, T. Parental Smoking and Smoking Status of Japanese Dental Hygiene Students: A Pilot Survey at a Dental Hygiene School in Japan. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2009, 6, 321-328.

AMA Style

Naito T, Miyaki K, Naito M, Yoneda M, Suzuki N, Hirofuji T, Nakayama T. Parental Smoking and Smoking Status of Japanese Dental Hygiene Students: A Pilot Survey at a Dental Hygiene School in Japan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2009; 6(1):321-328.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Naito, Toru; Miyaki, Koichi; Naito, Mariko; Yoneda, Masahiro; Suzuki, Nao; Hirofuji, Takao; Nakayama, Takeo. 2009. "Parental Smoking and Smoking Status of Japanese Dental Hygiene Students: A Pilot Survey at a Dental Hygiene School in Japan." Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 6, no. 1: 321-328.

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