Effectiveness of disseminating culturally appropriate smoking-cessation information: Programa Latino Para Dejar de Fumar.
BACKGROUND
The need for a culturally appropriate smoking-cessation intervention for Latinos is based on data on current patterns of tobacco use, possible targeting by the tobacco industry, and the lack of smoking-cessation interventions that are appropriate to the cultural characteristics of Latino smokers.


OBJECTIVE
Our goal was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Programa Latino Para Dejar de Fumar (PLDF) in disseminating smoking-cessation information in San Francisco's Latino community.


METHODS
Annual cross-sectional telephone surveys were conducted from 1986 to 1993 of Latino adults, 18-65 years of age, living in census tracts with at least 10% Latinos. Surveys in 1986 and 1987 formed the base line for comparison of PLDF effects.


RESULTS
Awareness of a Hispanic smoking-cessation program (odds ratio [OR] = 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09-1.14), awareness of PLDF specifically (OR = 1.14; 95% CI = 1.10-1.17), awareness of available printed information to help smokers quit (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.06-1.12), and having a copy of the Guía Para Dejar de Fumar (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.05-1.14) were significantly associated with year of survey. In addition, those same variables were significantly associated with a lower acculturation score (respective ORs = 3.95, and 95% CI = 3.57-4.37; OR = 5.40, and 95% CI = 4.86-6.01; OR = 0.63, and 95% CI = 0.58-0.69; and OR = 4.54, and 95% CI = 3.89-5.30). Women were more likely than men to report awareness of a Hispanic smoking-cessation program (OR = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.81-0.96), awareness of PLDF (OR = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.77-0.92), and awareness of available printed information (OR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.72-0.85). Cigarette-smoking prevalence decreased from 1986 through 1990, stabilized in 1991, and appeared to increase among all groups in 1993. Prevalence of smoking cessation remained stable overall, but it showed a steady increase among less acculturated respondents.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that a culturally appropriate community intervention to promote nonsmoking can be successful at disseminating information about smoking cessation. Latino community norms about smoking are evolving, leading to decreased social acceptability.
Marín
G
G
Department of Psychology, University of San Francisco, Calif 94117-1080, USA.
Pérez-Stable
E J
EJ
D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010174:Pamphlets; D015995:Prevalence; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012495:San Francisco / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000208:ethnology; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013689:Telephone