title: Does church participation facilitate tobacco control? A report on Korean immigrants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study explores hypotheses linking church attendance to smoking prevalence, cessation, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and household smoking bans among Korean immigrants in California.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were drawn from telephone interviews with Korean adults (N = 2085) based on a probability sample during 2005-2006 in which 86% of those contacted completed interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Koreans who reported that they had attended church were less likely to be current smokers and to be exposed to ETS, and more likely to have quit smoking and to have a complete smoking ban than non-attenders after statistical controls for behavioral covariates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Whether or not participants reported attending church was associated with increased tobacco control practices. Public health interventions may profit by seeking to expand cooperation with religious congregations to facilitate efforts to promote healthy lifestyles among immigrant populations beyond the influences of church attendance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Political Science and the 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: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Ayers
authors.forename: Veronica L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Irvin
authors.forename: D Eastern
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Kang Sim
authors.forename: Suzanne C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Reighard
authors.forename: Melbourne F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Hovell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D003256:Community Participation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012067:Religion; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution