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Schulz_2026_JMIR_81959
Journal article

Motivational drivers for teachers as informal health educators to initiate in-class discussions with adolescents about smoking : moderated mediation study using attribution theory

  • Russ, Anna Joy ORCID Facoltà di comunicazione, cultura e società, Università della Svizzera italiana, Svizzera
  • Bullo, Anna ORCID Facoltà di comunicazione, cultura e società, Università della Svizzera italiana, Svizzera
  • Schulz, Peter J ORCID Facoltà di comunicazione, cultura e società, Università della Svizzera italiana, Svizzera - Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore - Department of Communication & Media, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
  • 2026
Published in:
  • JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting. - 2026, vol. 9, p. e81959
Attribution theory
In-class health communication
Informal caregiver
Smoking prevention
Teachers
English Background: Teachers have the potential to be influential figures in school-based health promotion as informal caregivers; yet little is known about what motivates them to initiate preventive conversations with students. Attribution theory offers a useful framework to explore how perceptions of responsibility shape communicative behavior, but it has rarely been applied in the context of teacher-student interactions around health risks such as smoking. Objective: This study applies the attribution theory to explore the motivational drivers that lead teachers to initiate discussions with adolescents about smoking. Methods: Data were collected from 101 middle schools in the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland, as part of a larger longitudinal study. The analysis focuses on 67 teachers who participated in the first wave. Responsibility attribution, concern, and previous classroom sanctions were examined in association with teachers’ communication. Results: Results from a moderated mediation model showed that teachers who attributed greater responsibility to the school (internal attribution) reported higher levels of concern (β=–0.41; P=.002) and engaged in more frequent in-class discussions on smoking (β=–0.26; P=.02). Although concern alone was not directly related to communication (β=–0.14; P=.22), its effect was significantly moderated by contextual sanctions (β=1.01; P<.001). Conclusions: These findings highlight the motivational and contextual factors that shape teachers’ communication with students on smoking behavior. By applying attribution theory in the novel context of health communication, this research contributes to understanding how perceived responsibility influences preventive communication in schools.
Collections
Language
  • English
Classification
Information, communication and media sciences
License
CC BY
Open access status
gold
Identifiers
  • ISSN 2561-6722
  • DOI 10.2196/81959
  • RICERCO 67801
  • ARK ark:/12658/srd1335535
Persistent URL
https://n2t.net/ark:/12658/srd1335535
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