The College of Nursing at the University of Baghdad discussed the doctoral dissertation titled “The Effectiveness of a Health Belief Model-Based Intervention in Encouraging Smoking Cessation Among University Students: A Controlled Randomized Trial” by researcher Haider Hamid Hilal Sakhi, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Zahid Jassim Mohammed. In the college’s main auditorium
The thesis primarily aimed to determine the effectiveness of an intervention based on the Health Belief Model in encouraging university students to quit smoking, and to reveal the relationship between university students’ health beliefs and their demographic characteristics in terms of age, gender, and socioeconomic status, as well as to assess students’ health beliefs regarding smoking based on the components of this model.
The study’s results showed a positive effect and statistically significant differences in the participants’ health beliefs and behaviors following the implementation of the health intervention, demonstrating the effectiveness of this model in modifying smoking-related behaviors and increasing motivation to quit among college students.
The study recommended the need for future research based on the health beliefs model and targeting diverse groups of at-risk high school students, given that this stage is the starting point for smoking, as well as at-risk university students who are regular smokers and lack opportunities to quit, with the goal of helping them stop using tobacco.
Following an extensive academic discussion, the researcher’s efforts were rewarded with a “very good” grade.
This thesis demonstrates academic institutions’ commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 3 on good health and well-being, as combating smoking and promoting health awareness among young people contributes to building a healthy, pollutant-free educational environment and ensures sustainable health protection for future generations.
