Estimates of smoking and related behaviour in an immigrant Lebanese community: does survey method matter?

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of smoking, stage-of-change and GP ad vice to quit in the Sydney Lebanese community and whether these findings va ried by survey method. Method: Three methods - telephone interviews using sampling from the electr onic White Pages, personal interviews of a household member selected using cluster sampling and a mailed survey using an electoral roll sample - were used in separate surveys of persons born in Lebanon living in three postcod e areas of Sydney in 1997. Results: Smoking prevalence was consistent across the three methods, with m ale smoking averaging 49% and female smoking averaging 29%. About two-third s of smoking respondents across each of the survey methods had no plans for quitting. Conclusions: As smoking prevalence did not vary across the three sampling a nd survey methods used here, the simplest and most inexpensive method (the electronic White Pages and telephone surveying of identifiable ethnic surna mes) should be preferred. Implications: Smoking prevalence in the Sydney Lebanese community is determ ined consistently using a variety of survey methods.