How much do rural Hispanics know about the adverse health risks of smoking?

The object of this study was to measure knowledge in a rural Hispanic commu nity about the adverse health effects of smoking and to compare knowledge b etween current smokers and nonsmokers. A survey was administered to waiting room patients (n=137) over 16 years old at three predominantly Hispanic ru ral community health centers in the central San Joaquin Valley of Californi a. Proportions of respondents who believed that smoking caused a specific c onsequence were calculated and compared between smokers and nonsmokers by c hi-square tests. Likelihood of attributing negative health consequences to smoking was determined and compared between smokers and nonsmokers. A major ity of all participants (smokers and nonsmokers) knew that smoking causes l ung cancer (93 percent) and emphysema (91 percent). Many fewer participants knew that smoking contributes to problems stich as osteoporosis (39 percen t) or sexual dysfunction (33 percent). Current smokers were less likely tha n nonsmokers (P=0.01) to say that smoking causes any adverse health outcome , including those not known to be related to smoking. Although this is a cu lturally, ethnically and geographically unique group, knowledge of smoking risks among smoking and nonsmoking, rural Hispanics is similar to that foun d in the general population, When compared with nonsmokers, current smokers underestimate the risk that smoking poses to health.