The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #41365

Amy K. Ferketich, PhD¹, Moon S. Chen, PhD², Mary Ellen Wewers, PhD, MPH³, Melvin Moeschberger, PhD², and Eva Louie, BA². (1) Division of Epidemiology and Biometrics, The Ohio State University School of Public Health, B-218 Starling-Loving Hall, 320 West 10th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, 614-293-4387, ferketich.1@osu.edu, (2) School of Public Health, The Ohio State University, 320 W. 10th Ave., B-207 Starling-Loving Hall, Columbus, OH 43210, (3) School of Nursing, The Ohio State University, 1585 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210

Preparing the “Ground War” against Tobacco among Chinese Americans in New York City (NYC) is the title of a one-year American Legacy Foundation funded study that began in January 2001. The primary goal of this study was to collect baseline data for developing an intervention aimed at banning smoking in Chinese American homes in NYC. The baseline data were collected in a telephone survey of 715 representative Chinese American families in NYC with children and smokers who do not ban smoking in the home.

We found there is a preference of using one of the Chinese languages to communicate rather than English, and the respondents ranked themselves as mostly traditional. While the majority believed that smoking is harmful, especially to children living in the home, much misinformation exists about smoking, as 78% incorrectly believed that smoking causes tuberculosis. The physician is the person most trusted to provide health information, with nurses ranked as second and television third. In terms of educational materials, Chinese language media are by far the most common sources of health information.

We have collected data that will assist in the development of a tailored tobacco control initiative among Chinese Americans in NYC, a group that constitutes the largest single Asian American ethnicity. These preliminary results led to focus groups that were conducted to gain more information about the target group. The baseline and focus group data will assist in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the community-based interventions aimed at reducing environmental tobacco smoke exposure.

Learning Objectives: Following the session, the participant will be able to

• State the factors that should be considered when designing a tobacco intervention among Chinese Americans.
• Identify the most appropriate ways of administering a tobacco intervention among Chinese Americans.

Keywords: Tobacco, Asian Americans

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.