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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Susan E. Middlestadt, PhD¹, A. Susana Ramirez², Jesse Gelwicks³, and Rachel C. Gross, PhD, CHES³. (1) Applied Health Science, Indiana University, 116 HPER, Bloomington, IN 47405-4801, 812/856-5768, semiddle@indiana.edu, (2) Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, 3620 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19105, (3) Center for Applied Behavioral and Evaluation Research, Academy for Educational Development, 1825 Connecticut Ave, Washington, DC 20009

Background: Hispanics represent the largest and fastest growing minority in the US. Currently, in the US, the incidence of smoking is lower among young adult Hispanic women than among young adult White women. Just as tobacco industry views Hispanic Americans as an opportunity, the public health community needs to develop programs to protect this population. Strategies are needed not only to ensure young Latinas maintain their lower level of smoking but to determine if the factors protecting Latinas might be useful for other young adults. Purpose: The purpose of this presentation is to describe three potential counter-marketing themes to protect young Latinas. Methods: Internal tobacco industry documents made public through the Master Settlement Agreement were identified through key word and snowball searching of websites using terms about consumer research and Hispanic. Over 140 industry documents dating from 1984 through 1997 were analyzed. Findings from the internal industry documents were confirmed through triangulation with surveys, ad collections, and Lexis-Nexis and were supplemented with additional research. Results: Analysis of tobacco industry documents reveals that the industry has been targeting US Hispanic populations since at least 1989; that some Latinas smoke despite perceived norms from their family not to; and that some Latinas respond positively to appeals to become modern by smoking. Three themes for counter-marketing were identified: (1) reveal to young Latinas that they are being targeted by the tobacco industry; (2) reinforce traditional expectations that Hispanic women do not smoke; and (3) provide young Latinas with alternative ways to become modern.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to identify three message concepts that might be useful to prevent or reduce tobacco use among young adult Latinas.

Keywords: Latinas, Tobacco Control

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered