A brief smoking cessation intervention for Chinese and Korean American smokers.
OBJECTIVE
This study evaluated changes in smoking-related beliefs and behavior following a brief, culturally adapted smoking cessation intervention for Chinese and Korean smokers.


METHODS
From May 2002 to March 2003, 66 smokers residing in or around southeastern Pennsylvania were randomly assigned to a theory-based smoking cessation intervention or general health counseling. Participants completed assessments of perceived risks of smoking, pros and cons of quitting, quitting self-efficacy, and distress at baseline and follow-up time points. Sessions were conducted in the participant's native language (Korean, Cantonese, or Mandarin). Both groups received nicotine replacement therapy.


RESULTS
Overall, 38% of participants reported quitting smoking at 3-month follow-up. Quit rates were higher (52.6% among Chinese, 60.0% among Korean) in the intervention condition compared to the control condition (23.5% among Chinese, 40.0% among Korean) at 1-month, but not 3-month, follow-up. There was a main effect of treatment condition for self-efficacy with intervention participants reporting significantly higher levels of self-efficacy compared to control participants. Further, a treatment x time interaction was observed for cons of quitting, reflecting fewer cons in the intervention group than the control group at 1-month and 3-month follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
A culturally adapted intervention for Chinese and Korean Americans can be effective in changing specific smoking-related cognitions and behavior. This study represents a promising first step toward advancing our understanding of the associations between smoking-related cognitions and behavior among Asian American smokers.
Fang
Carolyn Y
CY
Division of Population Science, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Cheltenham, PA 19012, USA. carolyn.fang@fccc.edu
Ma
Grace X
GX
Miller
Suzanne M
SM
Tan
Yin
Y
Su
Xuefen
X
Shive
Steve
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010414:Pennsylvania; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology