Understanding Influences on Quitting Use of Mainstream & Traditional Products: Analyses from the California Asian Indian Tobacco Use Survey

Objective: Asian Indians comprise the third largest and rapidly growing Asian subgroup in California. Despite disparities in tobacco-related disease, past reporting has largely concluded that tobacco use does not contribute to excess burden of illness among Asian Indians in the U.S. We examine social/demographic characteristics of former Asian Indian tobacco users to highlight factors contributing to quitting.

Methods: Using 2004 California Asian Indian Tobacco Use Survey data, we examine current and former users of various tobacco products. We also create a composite variable comprised of two culturally-specific tobacco products: paan and gutka. Former use rates were analyzed by gender among survey respondents (n=3,228).

Findings: Culturally-specific tobacco use is much higher among current users (13%) and disparities between men and women are narrower than expected (14% vs. 12%). Almost half of the sample reported former use of culturally-specific smokeless tobacco. There was a surprisingly high prevalence of former cigar use (15.1%), with approximately equal rates across genders. Less than 10% were former users of all other products. Significantly, most respondents ever having used tobacco had quit prior to taking the survey. Social and demographic correlates of former use of specific tobacco products will be presented to highlight potentially effective strategies for cessation.

Implications/Conclusions: Findings demonstrate that cessation rates among Asian Indians are high, especially for culturally-specific tobacco products. Absent any targeted intervention strategy, it is important to understand which “natural” factors result in quitting. Identification of these characteristics is beneficial for future tailored efforts for cessation of Asian Indian tobacco use.