Demographic and lifestyle profiles associated with smoking status in Vietnamese Americans

OBJECTIVE: The study documents the 2002-2005 smoking prevalence among Vietnamese Americans and examines factors associated with smoking status.

METHOD: Smoking data were obtained by telephone from 4266 individuals (56.2% women) who responded to the annual Vietnamese REACH 2010 Risk Factor Surveys in Santa Clara County, California from 2002 to 2005.

RESULTS: Smoking prevalence (smoked in the past month) was 30.8% among men and 1.0% among women. Among men, the highest prevalence was observed in the age groups: 25-44 (38.2%) and 45-64 (33.1%), and the lowest in the age groups: 18-24 (17.2%) and over 64 (14.0%). In women, smoking prevalence was the highest between ages 18-25 (5.4%). Among men, the majority (80.7%) of current smokers smoked daily (averaging 9.0 cigarettes/day); among women, half (47.8%) smoked daily (averaging 6.7 cigarettes/day). Using the male data, multiple logistic regression analysis showed current smokers were more likely to have less than college education, ≥ 3 days with poor mental health in the past month, sedentary lifestyle, normal BMI, and last medical check up > 1 year ago. Former smokers were more likely to have a chronic medical condition than both current and never smokers.

CONCLUSION: These findings underscore the urgent need for smoking cessation efforts targeting Vietnamese men, particularly those between ages 25-64. Interventions must emphasize the benefits of quitting in preventing chronic medical conditions and be tailored to current smokers who may have lower educational attainment, poorer mental health, sedentary lifestyle, and less frequent contact with medical professionals.