Barriers faced by school community in the prevention of smoking initiation among early adolescents

Introduction: Smoking is commonly acquired during adolescence. Most of adult smokers start smoking at a young age. Therefore, it is important to have a smoking prevention program. Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore the barriers experienced by a school community in preventing smoking initiation among early adolescents. Method: The research employed descriptive phenomenology design with 25 people as the research participants consisting of nurses, junior high school students and teachers. Result: The participants have made an effort to overcome smoking behavior, which consists of three themes such as preparation, implementation, and evaluation of barriers. Conclusion: The barriers of the smoking prevention program in the adolescence stage, including the preparation, implementation, and evaluation, are very complex. Therefore, it requires a strong commitment from teachers, students, and parents. It is necessary to provide school nurse, interactive promotion of smoke-free lifestyle, and intensive monitoring and evaluation of the smoke-free program at schools.