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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Jiemin Ma, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe Street, W 6027, Baltimore, MD 21205, 410 614 5378, jma@jhsph.edu, Gonghuan Yang, Dr, Institute of Basic Medical Science, 5# Line 3, Dongdan Road, Beijing, 100005, China, and Frances Stillman, EdD, Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21209.

Much work still needs to be done in China to improve tobacco control where intervention projects are rare, especially in the rural areas where approximately 75% of the populations live. The Johns Hopkins Fogarty International Center Tobacco Control project addresses this disparity by working in rural areas in China to reduce secondhand exposure and increase tobacco control capacity. Three provinces (Sichuan, Henan, and Jiangxi) were selected based on discussions with county-level officials' expressed willingness to consider policies and the interest of local health departments and CDC officials in participating. To obtain a more in-depth understanding of smoking behavior in rural China and to help develop more appropriate and effective intervention strategies, qualitative surveys were conducted in the three intervention counties. Focus groups (n=80) and individual interviews (n=35) were conducted with smokers and nonsmokers who were doctors, nurses, students, farmers, and community leaders. Groups also discussed access to information, the importance of establishing health education classes in schools, the role of physicians in providing patient health education, and suggestions for developing tobacco control programs in the future. However, few viewed smoking control as an important issue or relevant to their key work mission. Although the results indicate that huge challenges exist, this qualitative work provides valuable insights into many populations previously unstudied and is giving a voice to the community as we try and involve them in the development of intervention strategies.

Learning Objectives:

1.Describe methods for conducting qualitative research in China.
• Determine factors that can facilitate interventions to reduce exposure of SHS. 3.Characterize perceptions of health care professionals, educators and community leaders as to reducing use of tobacco.

Keywords: Tobacco Control, International Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation