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 conse quence 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.
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