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The purpose of this proposal is to investigate the prevalence and determinants of tobacco use among California (CA) residents of Korean descent, a large and rapidly growing minority group. A sample of 2,500 adult and 625 adolescent CA residents of Korean descent will be surveyed by telephone. Findings will be compared to those from 500 Koreans living in Seoul, Korea. This study will inform possible interventions by identifying social and cultural determinants of tobacco use specific to CA residents of Korean descent, with a focus on the effects of acculturation. A series of simple and more complex models will be employed to explore possible determinants of tobacco use, tobacco cessation, ETS exposure, reported disease status, and health care utilization.
Specific Aims
1. To estimate the prevalence of tobacco use, cessation, and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) among male, female, adult, and adolescent CA residents of Korean descent.
2. To estimate the prevalence of medical care services utilization (from both physicians and nonlicensed health care practitioners) related to tobaccorelated illnesses and symptoms among CA residents of Korean descent.
3. To explore simple models of the relationships between acculturation and tobacco use, cessation, and ETS exposure among CA residents of Korean descent.
4. To explore a series of multivariate models of possible determinants of tobacco use, cessation, ETS exposure, reported disease status, and health care utilization among CA residents of Korean descent. SES, acculturation, gender, other risk taking and health enhancing behaviors (e.g. nutrition practices), and social learning theory variables (e.g. models, social support) will be included as independent variables in the models predicting each of these dependent variables.
5. A subset of Aim 4 will be to explore the relationships among family members and close friends that influence tobacco use, cessation, and ETS exposure. This will be conducted as both a descriptive and multivariate model, with emphasis on social processes within the family.
6. To estimate the prevalence and determinants of tobacco use, cessation, and ETS exposure among male, female, adult and adolescent residents of Seoul, Korea, and to compare these rates and determinants to those found for CA residents of Korean descent.
This proposal is responsive to TRDRP research priorities for funding studies that illuminate the role of acculturation in tobacco use among Asian Americans, as well as epidemiological research towards identifying differences in behavioral factors that may help elucidate unique contributors to tobacco use and tobaccorelated disease. Although Korean Americans are a sizeable minority ethnic group in CA, the ability to design effective tobacco prevention and treatment programs for this population is compromised by the lack of behavioral and social determinants data. The proposed study will address this concern and will provide current population estimates for adult and youth tobacco use among CA residents of Korean descent. |
