Hmong cultural practices and patterns of tobacco use
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death and disease in the United States with an estimated 418,000 premature deaths each year. Among Asian American/Pacific Islanders, there are an estimated 12,000 premature deaths each year. Cigarette smoking and tobacco use among Asian/Pacific Islanders are varied, ranging from 43% among Southeast Asians to 28% for Chinese. Studies that have targeted Southeast Asians have focused primarily on Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese. However, there are no studies that estimate smoking prevalence among the Hmong, nor research that explores the tobacco patterns and practices of this unique group. The proposed project will focus on Hmong cultural patterns and practices of tobacco use.
 
 
 
 
 
 Because Hmong cultural tobacco practices and patterns have not been researched, this project will focus on gathering preliminary information to bolster the core understandings of Hmong tobacco use. This information will be used to develop a survey tool, to be applied in a future research project, that will enable the full exploration of smoking patterns of this population with a valid and reliable tool. The specific aims of the project will be to gather information from the Hmong population in California re: 1) The perceptions Hmong hold toward tobacco, 2) the nature of current tobacco use in the Hmong population, 3) the cultural factors that influence and reinforce tobacco use, 4) how length of residence in the US affects tobacco use, and 5) what processes will lead to health-related behavior change in the Hmong.
 
 
 
 
 
 To gather this information, six focus groups will be conducted with ten to twelve individuals in each group. Separate focus groups will be conducted for: (1) Males 30-55 years, (2) females 30-45 years, (3) males 19-29 years, (4) females 19-29 years, and combined male/female groups for those 15-18 years (5) and 10-14 years (6). Each focus group will be guided in their discussion by a Hmong facilitator exploring key issues in the Hmong language about tobacco-related practices and patterns. Information gathered will be analyzed and categorized to capture overarching themes emerging from the focus group responses.
 
 
 
 
 
 Based on the information obtained from the first round of participant focus groups, a second set of focus groups will meet to further refine the identified themes and issues. Additionally, the focus group participants will be given an initial draft survey to assess the appropriateness of the content and constructs of the tool, which would be finalized and administered in a future research effort. The second round of six focus groups will be comprised of the same age/gender groups as in the first round, but involve different individual participants recruited from throughout the community. The expected outcomes of this project are twofold. The project will produce (1) a preliminary understanding of the tobacco-related patterns and cultural practices of the Hmong, and' (2) an initial survey instrument to further assess smoking and tobacco use among a cultural group for which a paucity of research exists.