Epidemiology of cigarette smoking among Cambodian Americans

We examined the prevalence of smoking among Cambodian Americans in Long Beach, CA. Although smoking is believed to be prevalent in this population, data are lacking. A random sample of respondents (n = 680) was obtained from census tracts with high concentrations of Cambodian Americans. A cross-sectional survey obtained data regarding demographic variables (age, gender, marital status, and education) and tobacco use history. Cigarette smokers were defined as current smokers (persons who had smoked 100 or more cigarettes during their lifetimes and who currently smoked). The prevalence of current smokers was 13.3% (95% CI = 11.9 – 14.7); the sex-specific prevalences were 23.0% (95% CI = 20.4 – 25.6) and 6.1% (95% CI = 4.8 – 7.4) for males and females, respectively. The mean age of current smokers was 46.5 years (range = 18 to 92 years) and did not differ significantly by gender. A multivariate logistic regression analysis examined demographic predictors of smoking status. Significant predictor variables included gender, marital status, and education. The odds of smoking were 9.5 times (95% CI = 4.7 – 19.1) higher among males than among females. The odds of smoking were 2.8 times (95% CI = 1.4 – 5.8) higher among those with less than a high school education in comparison with those who had higher levels of education. The odds of smoking for married persons were 2.1 times (95% CI = 1.2 – 3.9) higher than for single persons. We concluded that smokers tended to be male, married, and have less than a high school education.