Do Cambodian Americans perceive smoking as risky?

Cambodian Americans, especially men, have a high prevalence of cigarette smoking. Our previous research with focus groups suggested that they may not regard smoking as a major risk factor for adverse health outcomes. We examined the degree to which Cambodian Americans perceived cigarette smoking as risky according to seven dimensions. The study population was located in Long Beach, California, which has a large Cambodian settlement. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a stratified, random sample of adult respondents (n = 1,014; females = 60.3%; mean age = 49.7 years) in census tracts with high concentrations of Cambodian Americans. The risk dimensions included potential harm to one's overall health and the chance for problems with heart, lungs, and fertility. Additional risk items included the chance of developing cancer and harm from secondhand cigarette smoke. Associations among smoking status, self-reported health status, and seven demographic variables were assessed. We found that status as an ever smoker was related to perception of increased risk due to smoking. The findings were similar for current smokers with the exception of risks to children from secondhand cigarette exposure. Status as a former smoker was unrelated to any of the risk variables. Smoking and concerns about potential fertility impairment were associated with almost all of the demographic variables. We concluded that the population has a high awareness of health risks associated with smoking even though the prevalence of smoking is high.