SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The main rationale of this study is to contribute to the efforts of Information

Education and Communication of health campaigns on smoking cessation programs
by providing data on the extent of exposure to smoking cessation programs and
recall of smokers ages 15-25.
In the Philippines, there are 17% or 4 million Filipino youth with ages 13-15
years who are already smoking. Of these early starters, 2.8 million are boys and 1.2
million are girls (Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 2007). . About 17.3 million Filipinos
aged 15 years old and above are tobacco smokers with at least 13.8 million
smoking daily, the Philippine Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) showed in 2011.
This is a serious issue that must be given attention. Survey results show that most
are likely to start smoking during their high school day. Thus, this study starts with
15 years old smokers. NCR is chosen in order to contribute to the MMDAs vision of a
smoke-free Manila.
Moreover, the smoking cessation programs provide messages that are very
vital in persuading smokers to not smoke. Hence, the researchers want to know the
messages in the smoking cessation programs that the smokers recall. The smokers
extent of exposure to smoking cessation programs and recall are the factors that
can affect the respondents behavior on smoking.
In order to have a more comprehensive view of the extent of exposure and
recall of the respondents to smoking cessation programs, the study uses the Health
Belief Model that looks on the respondents perception, knowledge and practices
toward smoking. The HBM provides a framework that relates the specific objectives
of this study to each other; it provides a possible explanation on the respondents
smoking behavior.
This study is a significant endeavor in promoting public health and proper law
implementation of RA9211. Hence, the knowledge of the respondents about the
dangers of smoking and the smoking law is determined in this study. It is known
that cigarettes can be purchased in tingi-tingi or by piece. Cigarette vendors openly
sells cigarettes in streets and sidewalks. This kind of strategy makes it easy for an
adolescent or a teenager to buy a stick violating a section in RA9211 that prohibits
selling of cigarettes within the 100 meter perimeter of the school. The study
through the awareness of the adolescent and teenagers on where to buy cigarettes
provides incidental data if this law is followed.
Hence this study is helpful to those government agencies like the DepEd,
DOH and MMDA; and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) who are promoting
anti-smoking among the Filipinos today.