159294 Multicultural Network (MCN) Smoke Free Home Pledge

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Douglas Chung, MSW, MA, PhD , Asian Center, Grand Rapids, MI
E. Yvonne Lewis , Faith Access to Community Economic Development, Flint, MI
Minority Americans suffer from health disparities, which include heart and lung disease (Centers for Disease Control, 2004). These disparities show a need for culturally sensitive health approaches to policy and education. Five agencies representing the following minority groups: Asian American, African American, Arab and Caldean American, and Latino American formed the Multicultural Network (MCN) to collectively address tobacco prevention. A Smoke-Free Home Pledge was designed by MCN to test a culturally sensitive model. The project provided knowledge of second hand smoke with an objective of a smoke free home. A pledge card enabled the family to request the smoker to smoke outside of the home. The target were minority populations MCN represent in Michigan. A purposive sampling was used to recruit twenty smokers from each ethnic group. Focus groups were pretested, provided education, post-tested, with a three-month follow-up measuring the outcome of a pledge for a smoke free home. The educational sessions were designed with cultural sensitivity to reach these populations effectively. Both quantitative and qualitative results, with a focus on smoking behavior change, were analyzed. Cultural strengths and barriers to a smoke free home were identified. Culturally sensitive ways to help the families create a smoke-free home, as well as how MCN can assist, were discussed. Themes were identified: types of cessation services, behavior change, skills learned, knowledge gained, attitude changes, values appreciated, and cultural assets developed. Conclusion points to empowering the family to achieve a smoke-free home. Implications for education, cultural sensitivity, and public health policy are presented.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify cultural strengths within four communities to address tobacco prevention collectively, Asian American, African American, Arab and Caldean American, and Latino American. 2. Develop the Smoke Free Home Pledge program as a way to implement a clean indoor air environment for homes and cars, within these communities. 3. Evaluate the Smoke Free Home Pledge program with focus group process, with qualitative and quantitative results. 4. Describe the themes which were identified including behavior change, skills learned, knowledge gained, attitude change, values appreciated, and cultural assets developed.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.