187260 Factors associating with the desires to use smoking cessation medications among Chinese Americans

Monday, October 27, 2008

Janice Y. Tsoh, PhD , Department of Psychiatry, UCSF, San Francisco, CA
Vivian Wang, BA , Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
BACKGROUND: Using nicotine replacement medications (NRT) doubles the odds of quitting smoking. Population studies found low use of medications particularly among smokers of ethnic minority including Chinese Americans.

OBJECTIVE: The study examined factors associating with the desire to use NRT among Chinese Americans.

METHOD: Screening data were obtained from 431 Chinese American daily smokers enrolled in a smoking cessation trial providing free NRT. Sample characteristics were: 15% female, mean age = 46 (SD=12.1), 95% preferred reading Chinese, cigarettes smoked daily = 14 (SD=8.9), 56% had a 24-hour quit attempt past year, 91% intended to quit in 6 months (57% in 30 days), and 55% were very or extremely motivated to reduce smoking in 30 days.

RESULTS: About half (58%) indicated desire to use any smoking cessation medication. Multiple logistic regression showed that desire to use was associated with preference to read English (OR=3.1, 95%CI:1.2=7.8), intent to quit in 6 months (OR=2.6, 95%CI=1.2-5.6), being motivated to reduce smoking in 30 days (OR=2.3, 95%CI: 1.3-3.5), and being female (OR=1.8, 95%CI:1.0-3.4). Age, income, smoking rate, health problems, taking other medications regularly, recent quit attempts, and intent to quit in 30 days were not significant predictors.

CONCLUSION: The desire to use smoking cessation medications was low even among the Chinese Americans smokers who were motivated and could clearly benefit from using NRT (66% smoked >10 daily). Making language appropriate product information about smoking cessation medications readily accessible to Chinese Americans might facilitate the desire to use these medications and increase successes of quit attempts.

Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize the associations between using smoking cessation medications and cessation outcomes 2. Identify factors associating with the desires to use smoking cessation medications among Chinese American smokers 3. Discuss the implications for increasing Chinese American's awareness and desires to use smoking cessation aids to quit or reduce smoking

Keywords: Tobacco, Treatment Adherence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been served as a Principal Investigator and Co-investigator in tobacco dependence treatment research in special populations such as Asians, smokers with substance abuse or psychiatric disorders.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

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.