Smoking behavior, knowledge, and beliefs among Korean Americans

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to examine smoking behavior, knowledg e, and beliefs among Korean Americans. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY: One hundred four Korean American men and 159 women, 4 0 to 69 years old, living in Chicago, Illinois, served as study respondents . The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Cancer Control Supplement Que stionnaire was used to collect data. The NHIS was translated into Korean wi th minor modifications to develop a culturally appropriate instrument. RESULTS: This study suggests that smoking is almost exclusively a male beha vior (38.5%) and that Korean American men smoke : mostly cigarettes. Almost 90% of women have never smoked, :: : : whereas 23% of men reported never s moking. Respondents with a non-Christian background or no religious affilia tion,were 16.5 times more likely to be current smokers. Respondents who had lived in the United States less than 10 gears were 12.5 times more likely to be current smokers. More than 90%:of men, regardless of smoking status, were able to identify an association between; smoking and major chronic dis eases. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The prevalence of smoking among these Korean America n men places them at considerable risk for smoking-related disease. Healthc are providers must be better informed about smoking behavior in this group, and specific attention to recently migrated men and those reporting religi ons other than Christianity is recommended. Health-protecting strategies fo r women and children who fall victim to secondhand smoke, or who may be tar geted by tobacco advertising, are also an important step in disease prevent ion for this population.