Knowledge and Perception of Health Implications of Passive Smoking among In-school Female Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study

Despite the growing burden of passive smoking, there remains a critical gap in knowledge and perception of its health implications among in-school female adolescents. This study investigates the knowledge and perceptions of the health implications associated with passive smoking among female adolescents in public secondary schools within the Agara community, Ibadan, Oyo State. The study was descriptive and cross-sectional. Data were obtained from 394 in-school female adolescents, selected from the study population using a multistage sampling technique. The study respondents' knowledge and perception of health implications and predisposing factors to passive smoking were assessed using a pre-tested, semi-structured, and interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, with statistical significance set at 5%. The mean age of the respondents was 14.9 ± 1.9 years, with the majority (57.1%) categorized as early adolescents. Most respondents (65.7%) had cigarette-selling shops on their street, 33.0% were exposed to smokers in their neighbourhood, 40.9% had siblings who smoked, while 29.5% had parents who smoked. The majority of respondents (79.9%) had poor knowledge of passive smoking, and 45.4% had a negative perception of its health implications. There was a statistically significant association between age group and knowledge of passive smoking (p = 0.006). Respondents in early adolescence were less likely to have good knowledge compared to those in late adolescence (OR = 0.475, 95% CI: 0.279–0.811). Additionally, knowledge was significantly associated with perception of the health implications of passive smoking (p < 0.001). Respondents with poor perception were 3.54 times more likely to have poor knowledge compared to those with good perception (OR = 3.543, 95% CI: 2.003–6.266). The majority (79.2%) of respondents reported being taught the harmful effects of passive smoking by their teachers, while most (83.0%) and (81.5%) had family members and friends, respectively, who encouraged them to avoid passive smoking. Conclusively, in-school female adolescents demonstrated poor knowledge and suboptimal perception of the health implications of passive smoking, highlighting the need for strengthened health education, stricter smoking regulations, and improved parental engagement.