NERS NEWS — Nursing Profession Education Program students of the Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Airlangga, conducted a health education activity on the “Dangers of Smoking among Adolescents” for adolescents in RW 07 Dukuh Sutorejo, Surabaya, on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. The activity, which was held at the RW 07 Dukuh Sutorejo Community Hall, aimed to increase adolescents’ knowledge and awareness of the dangers of smoking, its impact on health, and the importance of preventing and stopping smoking behavior from adolescence.
Smoking behavior remains one of the health problems that needs attention, particularly among adolescents. Adolescence is a period that is vulnerable to the influence of the social environment, family, peers, and media exposure, which can influence decisions to try or maintain smoking habits. The results of an assessment in the RW 07 Dukuh Sutorejo area showed that some adolescents had tried both conventional cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, with peer influence being one of the factors most commonly underlying this behavior.
As an implementation of the role of nurses in promotive and preventive efforts, Nursing Profession students of the Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Airlangga, Groups 1, 2, and 3 of Kalijudan Community Health Center, conducted health education with the theme “Dangers of Smoking among Adolescents”. The activity was held at the RW 07 Dukuh Sutorejo Community Hall with adolescents as the target participants. The methods used included lectures, interactive discussions and question-and-answer sessions, as well as a simple demonstration of the effects of cigarette smoke. The media used consisted of a PowerPoint presentation and a demonstration prototype.
The activity began with participant registration, an opening session, and a pre-test to determine the participants’ initial level of knowledge. Next, participants received materials on the concept of smoking, types or categories of smokers, the dangers of smoking, reasons why someone needs to quit smoking, steps to quit smoking, as well as efforts to prevent and stop smoking behavior. The activity then continued with a simple demonstration of the effects of cigarette smoke, discussion and question-and-answer sessions, as well as a post-test to evaluate the improvement in participants’ understanding.
Through this activity, participants were expected to be able to understand and explain the dangers of smoking to themselves and those around them. In addition, this education was expected to increase adolescents’ awareness to avoid smoking behavior and encourage the adoption of healthier lifestyles. The activity evaluation in the pre-planning targeted an increase in participants’ knowledge of at least 80% based on a comparison of the pre-test and post-test results.
This activity also supported the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) through promotive and preventive efforts to prevent the harmful effects of tobacco use among adolescents, as well as SDG 4 (Quality Education) through the provision of health education that is easy to understand and relevant to adolescents’ lives.
Through this health education activity, adolescents in RW 07 Dukuh Sutorejo are expected to better understand the dangers of smoking to health, be able to recognize factors that can encourage smoking behavior, and develop awareness to prevent and stop smoking behavior. This activity was one form of contribution by Nursing Profession students of the Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Airlangga, to improving adolescents’ health knowledge and awareness in the community.
Writer: Nurul Maghfiroh et al.
