Smoking initiation among Chinese and Vietnames adolescents
Abstracts
Initial Award Abstract |
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The great majority of adult smokers begin smoking during adolescence, and become dependent on nicotine during the first years of tobacco use. Thus, preventing development of the smoking habit during adolescence is essential to reducing tobacco-related illness and mortality. Improving our understanding of how smoking behavior develops is, therefore, critical to designing interventions that can prevent the uptake of smoking.
Smoking behavior, and the values and beliefs that influence this behavior, are acquired during childhood and adolescence and are heavily influenced by the environment in which the adolescent grows up. Little is known about the relationship between smoking behavior and the cultural context in which smoking develops among Chinese and Vietnamese adolescents. The goal of this proposed study is to conduct a baseline and two follow-up telephone surveys of Chinese and Vietnamese-American adolescents in order to: assess the prevalence of smoking; examine the progression of smoking addiction; and, to identify the factors associated with the progression of smoking from initiation to regular smoking in these groups. In addition, this study aims to examine the role that lifestyle behaviors such as alcohol and drug use, participation in physical activity and initiation of sexual activity play among these groups in either reinforcing or in deterring regular smoking.
Study subjects will be identified through telephone directories from four counties and Northern and Southern California where there are large numbers of these groups. We believe that the knowledge gained from this study will be important in the development of smoking prevention strategies for Chinese and Vietnamese adolescents. Smoking prevention must be a cornerstone of the effort to reduce tobacco-related morbidity and mortality in California; understanding why and how adolescents take up the smoking habit, or refrain from it, is key to identifying the most effective and efficient ways to develop public health strategies and interventions to prevent this behavior. |
Final Report |
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Most smokers begin smoking during adolescence, and nicotine dependence is established during the first years of tobacco use. Thus, preventing smoking during adolescence is essential to reducing morbidity and mortality in at-risk populations. In turn, understanding how smoking behavior develops is critical to designing interventions that can prevent the uptake of smoking. While research has examined the development of smoking during adolescence in White and African-American populations, much less is known about the extent and patterns of development among Chinese and Vietnamese populations.
The goal of this study was to assess the prevalence of smoking behavior among adolescents of Chinese and Vietnamese descent who currently live in California, as well as the cultural, personal, and contextual factors associated with the progression from initiation to regular smoking. We conducted a longitudinal survey of approximately 1300 Chinese and Vietnamese adolescents (male and female) to gather baseline data and follow-up information over a period of two years.
In keeping with the specific aims of this study, we completed the following:
• Developed a culturally appropriate survey instrument to assess the prevalence of smoking and the factors associated with the uptake of regular smoking among Chinese and Vietnamese adolescents.
• Conducted a baseline telephone survey of Chinese and Vietnamese adolescents (male and female, age 12-17), randomly selected from Southern and Northern California.
• Conducted two follow-up surveys at 12 and 24 months to assess changes in smoking behavior.
• Conducted data analysis to determine smoking prevalence and factors affecting progression to regular cigarette use.
This project successfully gathered information regarding the smoking behavior over time of Chinese and Vietnamese adolescents. We found increases in the proportion of adolescents having tried tobacco products each year in both ethnic groups, with a slightly steeper increase among the Vietnamese respondents. Comparison of the two ethnic groups also reflected some significant differences in the cultural, personal, and contextual factors that may affect their tobacco use. These were factors such as their level of acculturation, country of birth, and sources of information about smoking, as well as their parents' countries of birth, education levels, and smoking histories. These findings will aid in the development of culturally-relevant and effective tobacco-prevention strategies for the Chinese and Vietnamese adolescent population. |
