Elsevier

Addictive Behaviors

Volume 31, Issue 7, July 2006, Pages 1271-1276
Addictive Behaviors

Short communication
Smoking cessation: An application of theory of planned behavior to understanding progress through stages of change

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2005.08.012Get rights and content

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate variables relevant to smoking cessation early in the process of change through an application of the Theory of Planned Behavior [Ajzen, I. (1985). From intentions to actions: A theory of planned behavior. In J. Kuhl and J. Beckman (Eds). Action-control: From cognition to behavior (pp.11–39). Heidelberg: Springer.] to the temporal structure provided by the Transtheoretical Model. Study 1 was a preliminary elicitation study (n = 68) conducted to ground the concepts used in the model testing in Study 2 [Ajzen, I., Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.]. Study 2 tested the proposed model fit with data from a sample of 230 adult smokers. Structural equation modeling did not support the Theory of Planned Behavior as a model of motivation for progress through the stages of change and highlighted measurement issues with perceived behavioral control. A modified model using the Theory of Reasoned Action provided a good fit to the data, accounting for approximately 64% of the variance in intention to quit smoking and stage of change. This research addresses the need for a more complete theoretical rationale for progress through stages of change.

Introduction

The development of TTM by Prochaska, DiClemente, and others has stimulated much research (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1983), providing information as to when behavior change occurs (stage of change) and how behavior change is implemented (processes of change). Much less attention has been given to motivational aspects of behavior change in the context of TTM. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1985) is an influential, widely applied theoretical approach to understanding and predicting behavior. Generally, tests of TPB have been supportive (see Armitage & Conner, 2001), and in recent years a growing body of research has applied TPB to smoking behavior. Most TPB studies have either tested a modified version without a comparison to the original model or have used definitions and/or measures for TPB variables that are not consistent with the original theory. This research was designed as a thorough and specific application of TPB to TTM for smoking behavior and to allow direct comparison between TPB and TRA.

Section snippets

Study 1: Grounding

Elicitation research (grounding) was conducted with 68 adult smokers to identify salient behavioral outcomes, social referents, and control beliefs for smoking cessation. Results were used in constructing the survey for Study 2. See Bledsoe (1998) for full description of this study.

Participants

Participants were 230 adult cigarette smokers (139 females, 91 males) who were recruited from the undergraduate psychology participant pool and from the community. Mean age was 31.5 years (S. D. = 13.9); most were

Results

The primary model under investigation was Theory of Planned Behavior as Motivation (TPB-MOT, Fig. 1, includes dashed lines). Structural equation modeling (LISREL 7, Jöreskog & Sörbom, 1989) was used to evaluate model fit and make model comparisons. The possibility of a spurious relationship between intention and stage was tested and rejected.

Discussion

The TPB-MOT model as an explanation of the motivation for progress through the stages of change was not supported. Reasonably good model fit to the data was found when TPB's predecessor, Theory of Reasoned Action, was substituted for TPB. No clear conclusions about PBC can be made based on results reported here. Additional research is needed to understand PBC and its measurement, which seems to be a more complex construct in the application to an addictive process, such as, smoking behavior as

Uncited reference

Prochaska & DiClemente, 1983

Acknowledgments

The author gratefully acknowledges Bryan Briscoe, Stephanie Garrett, MD; and Toni Miles, MD, PhD, for their editorial assistance. This was made possible through the financial support of the Wise-Nelson Endowment at the University of Louisville, Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine.

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