Cessation in Washingtons AAPI Communities Alison Shigaki MD, MPH Washington Asian Quitline December 13, 2010

Asian & Pacific Islander Population WA State GroupNumber% of State APA Pop Filipino87,87119 Chinese72, Vietnamese60, Korean51, Asian Indian41,5839 Japanese40, Other Asian44, Samoan7, Guamanian or Chamorro 6, Native Hawaiian 7, Other Pacific Islander 6, Source: 2005 American Community Survey

Top 7 WA Counties with the Largest AAPI Population

Washington State Tobacco Prevalence

King County Tobacco Prevalence

Washington State Quitline Asian Callers

Previous Cessation Work in the AAPI Community Focus Groups Cultural Factors Affecting Smoking & Quitting in Chinese and Vietnamese Men: 1. Lack of knowledge about the health effects of tobacco and ETS 2. Cultural expectations for men to smoke both in the personal and business world 3. Smoking cigarettes is strongly associated with drinking coffee & tea 4. Loneliness is associated with cigarette use 5. Family influence was important in the quitting process. 6. Quitting for the health of ones wife and children was a motivating factor 7. Many Chinese participants felt you could not quit cold turkey

Previous Cessation Work Cont. APICAT Tobacco Needs Assessment 2002 Key Informant Interviews (KII) conducted in 8 AAPI Communities (Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Lao, Samoan, Vietnamese & Other) KII included 2 adults and 1 youth from each community Questions included: tobacco use in their communities, prevention activities, cessation services, industry targeting, media venues and tobacco prevention policies

Previous Cessation Work Cont. APICAT Tobacco Needs Assessment cont. Findings/ Common Themes: 1.Lack of funding & resources for tobacco prevention 2.Lack of knowledge about harmful effects of tobacco & ETS 3.Need for culturally appropriate tobacco prevention materials, education & cessation services 4.Need for community leaders to quit smoking & be involved in community education and outreach 5.Tobacco has become intertwined in cultural practices

Modified existing cessation curriculum based on Train the Trainer Model Utilized pilot cessation class findings for curriculum development Held in-language focus groups to get feedback on curriculum and cessation booklet design Developed 6-week in-language & culturally appropriate cessation program for Chinese and Vietnamese men Development of a culturally competent cessation curriculum

Culturally appropriate pictures and issues (i.e. tai chi exercise, symbol of longevity) Emphasize health, family, money saved, and role model for their children as reasons to quit Emphasize the benefits of quitting: children, elderly, future generations Target whole family, particularly the women who will likely make their spouses quit smoking Would like to see pathological graphics The health effects are slow thus not many people realize it. Emphasize self determination Development of a culturally competent cessation curriculum cont.

Current Cessation Efforts Curriculum has also been translated into Korean and Samoan APICAT has been providing mini-contracts to perform community based cessation classes since 2004 Mini-contractors are collecting data on number of cigarettes smoked, behavioral modifications, level of addiction (Fagerstrom), stages of change, depression level as well as quit rates Also collecting demographic data

Conclusion Smoking rates continue to be high in the AAPI population Need for continued prevention and education Important to continue providing in-language community cessation classes Current WA Quitline not reaching AAPI population, especially non-English speaking Important to have other cessation resources for the AAPI community