title: Tobacco use and acculturation among Californians of Korean descent: a behavioral epidemiological analysis.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92123, USA. rhofstet@mail.sdsu.edu
authors.forename: C Richard
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Hofstetter
authors.forename: Melbourne F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Hovell
authors.forename: Jooeun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Joy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zakarian
authors.forename: Haeryun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hee-Young
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Paik
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Irvin
mesh_terms: 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*