Health Communication Motivation Becomes the Main Key for High School Students to Refuse Smoking Invitations

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FORMOSA NEWS

Between February and June 2026, researchers Fauzi Enny and Hendra Sentyawan from Yogyakarta State University (UNY) investigated the determinants of smoking refusal intention among 100 high school students in Pekanbaru City. This research is crucial because strengthening health communication capacity is the primary key in transforming risk knowledge into concrete refusal actions within adolescent environments.

Adolescent smoking habits remain a public health concern due to peer group influences and cigarette advertising exposure. Thus far, prevention efforts in schools have often relied solely on message exposure or language training without equipping students with health reasons and contextual communication courage.

This study applied a quantitative correlational-explanatory approach with a cross-sectional survey, collecting data via a four-point Likert scale questionnaire from 100 active high school students in Pekanbaru.

Multiple linear regression analysis produced several key findings:

• The research model simultaneously explained 70.3% of the variation in smoking refusal intention among students ($R^2 = 0.703, p < 0.001$).
• Health communication motivation proved to be the strongest partial predictor and the only statistically significant one ($B = 0.588, p < 0.001$).
• Motivational English anti-smoking messages and communication self-efficacy showed positive effects, but were not partially significant after being controlled by health communication motivation.

According to Fauzi Enny and Hendra Sentyawan from Yogyakarta State University (UNY), these findings demonstrate that smoking prevention in schools cannot rely solely on message delivery or language skills alone. School intervention programs need to combine health literacy, refusal communication practices, and contextual English learning so that students are capable of defending their healthy attitudes in the face of social pressure.

Author Profiles

• Fauzi Enny – Researcher and academic at Yogyakarta State University (UNY).
• Hendra Sentyawan – Researcher and academic at Yogyakarta State University (UNY).

Research Sources

• Article Title: The Influence of Motivational English Anti-Smoking Messages, EFL Communication Self-Efficacy, and Health Communication Motivation Among Senior High School Students in Pekanbaru City
• Journal Name: Journal of Language Development and Linguistics (JLDL), Vol. 5 No. 1
• Publication Year: 2026
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/jldl.v5i1.16839