Nurbanu ODACI, Kardelen AYYILDIZ, Meva Nur ÇÜRÜK
Addicta The Turkish Journal On Addictions - 2026;13(3):303-311
This study aimed to examine the relationship between smoking parents' beliefs about thirdhand smoke (THS) and their intentions to quit smoking. This descriptive correlational study was conducted with 276 smoking parents who had children aged 0-12 years. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the Descriptive Information Form, the Smoking Cessation Intention Scale, the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, and the Beliefs About Thirdhand Smoke Scale (BATHS). Analyses were performed using SPSS version 27.0. The mean total score for beliefs about THS was 3.68 +/- 0.93, while the mean smoking cessation intention score was 26.75 +/- 8.1. Although beliefs about THS did not differ significantly by sociodemographic characteristics, smoking cessation intention varied according to some demographic and smoking-related factors. A weak negative correlation was found between nicotine dependence and cessation intention, while a weak positive correlation emerged between beliefs about THS and cessation intention. The full model explained 9.0% of the variance, and adding THS beliefs accounted for an additional 5.4% of the variance. Beliefs about THS contribute to smoking cessation intentions among parents who smoke. Increasing awareness of THS may help promote smoking cessation among parents.
