Survey of knowledge, perceptions and behaviour related to smoking in young Asian women airline cabin crew

Abstract

Smoking habits, knowledge about the health consequences of smoking and the perception of developing risks of smoking were investigated among a group of Asian female airline cabin crew trainees working in Hong Kong (N = 409) who were compared with an earlier cohort of experienced Asian female airline cabin crew (N = 585). The instrument was a self-administered questionnaire worded in simple English. Results indicate that in general, smokers and non-smokers did not significantly differ in their level of awareness about the hazards of smoking. Perceived risks for non-smoking-related hazards did not differ between smokers and non-smokers. However, smokers perceived a lesser risk of developing smoking-related disease and rated higher the likelihood of obtaining benefits from smoking than did non-smokers. This may contribute to, or be a consequence of, smoking behaviour. If the latter, this questions the value of continuing education among smokers about the long-term health risks of smoking particularly for better-known risks. New directions for future smoking prevention education measures are suggested.