Tobacco use and acculturation among Californians of Korean descent: a behavioral epidemiological analysis.
This study presents population estimates of cigarette use among adults of Korean descent residing in California. Data were drawn from telephone interviews with adults (N=2,830) developed from a random sampling of listed persons in California with Korean surnames. A total of 86% of attempted interviews were completed, and 85% of the interviews were conducted in Korean. Less acculturated men and more acculturated women reported higher present and predicted future rates of smoking after multivariate statistical controls were applied. Sharply divergent rates of cigarette use were found between the genders. Although men did not smoke their first cigarette or smoke cigarettes regularly earlier than women, both groups began smoking later than adults born in the United States. To be effective, tobacco intervention efforts must be tailored specifically to cultures of each minority. Results suggest that acculturation processes influence tobacco use differentially by gender, and future research is needed to identify the implications of processes in tobacco initiation and cessation.
Hofstetter
C Richard
CR
Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92123, USA. rhofstet@mail.sdsu.edu
Hovell
Melbourne F
MF
Lee
Jooeun
J
Zakarian
Joy
J
Park
Haeryun
H
Paik
Hee-Young
HY
Irvin
Veronica
V
D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000208:ethnology*