 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Isabel C. Scarinci, PhD, MPH, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, MT 609, 1530 3rd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294, Andrea Silveira, MA, Psychology, Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Parana, Rua Bento Viana, 1140, Curitiba, 80240, Brazil, Daniele Figueiredo dos Santos, BS, Psychology, Instituto Ethos de Pesquisa Aplicada, Av. Comendador Franco, 5332, Curitiba, 81560-000, Brazil, (041)376-0685, daniele@ethos.com.br, Wendy Naumann, PhD, Psychology, Ohio State University, 288 Arps Hall, 1945 N High Street, Columbus, OH 43210, and Bettina M. Beech, DrPH, MPH, Psychology, University of Memphis, Psychology Building, Memphis, TN 38157.
Although it has been suggested that the tobacco use is on the rise among Brazilian working women, little is known about the sociocultural factors associated with smoking initiation, maintenance, and cessation in this population. The purpose of this presentation is to provide the results of a detailed examination of contextual variables that contribute to smoking initiation, maintenance, and cessation among Brazilian working women through quantitative and qualitative assessments. This study first explored these issues among 108 Brazilian working women who were current smokers, former smokers, or never smokers through focus groups. Consistent with existing literature, they identified a number of emotional factors that contribute to smoking maintenance as well as enablers and nurturers. One of the unique findings was the social function of cigarette smoking. Cigarette smoking plays a different role in different situations. For example, some women reported that it was embarrassing to smoke at the workplace. On the other hand, smoking in social gatherings and bars helped them to meet people and it was “charming”. The identified themes led to the development of a final theoretical model that was tested through a questionnaire. This questionnaire was administered to 800 Brazilian working women. This presentation will focus on the development and testing of the theoretical model, the relevance of the findings for the development of tobacco control policies in Brazil, and lessons learned that can be applied to international tobacco efforts regarding women and tobacco.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Smoking, Women
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.