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Berg, Jill, Dennis R. Wahlgren, C. Richard Hofstetter, Susan B. Meltzer, Eli O. Meltzer, Georg E. Matt, Ana Martinez-Donate, and Melbourne F. Hovell. 2004. “Latino Children with Asthma: Rates and Risks for Medical Care Utilization.? Journal of Asthma 41:147-157.
The authors examined unscheduled medial care for asthma for Latino families (n=193) in San Diego, California who reported information about medical care use for their children during the past 12 months. To be eligible for this study the participants had to be 1) self identified Latino mother or father, 2) a child 3-17 year of age with either a physician diagnosis of asthma or a prescription for a bronchodilator, 3) an exposure to at least six cigarettes in the past seven days, and 4) an adult smoker living in the home.
Findings: Thirty two percent of the children shared a sleeping room with a smoker. Twenty-three percent were hospitalized for a respitory illness within 12 months prior to the study, 45 percent used the emergency department, and 60% used urgent care services. The majority (55 percent) used Medicaid or had no insurance (32 percent). Children who were younger than six years of age and male were more likely to be hospitalized. Caregivers with at least a high school education or equivalent were 1.5 to 2 times more likely to have used these services. Most of these families lived in substandard housing that contained many asthma triggers.
Caraballo, Ralph S., Gary A. Giovino, Terry F. Pechacek. 2004. “Self-reported Cigarette Smoking vs. Serum Cotinine among U.S. Adolescents.? Nicotine and Tobacco Research 6:19-25.
The researchers investigated discrepancies between self-reports and measurement of serum cotinine concentration among adolescents aged 12-17 years in a representative sample (n=2,107) of the U.S. population. They used NHANES III which was a nationwide household survey conducted from 1988 to 1994.
Findings: Most minors are not smoking on a regular basis and therefore testing is difficult. The discrepancy between self-reported smokers was 21.1 percent whereas non-smokers was 2.7 percent. The researchers thought this was due to nicotine dosing and that a blood sample taken 4-5 days after smoking does not detect clear enough cotinine. Therefore the problem was in measurement and smoking patterns. “We found that among self-reported nonsmokers, Mexican Americans were less likely than Whites were to have a serum cotinine concentration of greater than 11.40ng/ml in both unadjusted comparisons and analyses adjusted for gender, age, poverty status, and the number of smokers living at home? (p. 24). Nonsmokers who were actually smokers may have denied using because of parental fears or social stigma. The private setting may have kept these rates low.
Caraballo, Ralph S. and Chung-Won Lee. 2004. “Tobacco Consumption among Mexicans and their Descendents in the United States.? Salud Pública de México 46:1-9.
This purpose of this research was to show information obtained my U.S. surveys and studies on cigarette smoking or other tobacco use in Mexicans residing in the U.S. Data was obtained from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 1991-2001, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 1999-2001, the National Health Interview Survey, 1978-2001, the Current Population Survey, 1998-1999, the National Health Vital Statistics, 1999, and the U.S. Census Bureau, 2001.
Findings: Mexican Americans and Mexicans have been found to smoke cigarettes less frequently than non-Hispanic Whites or American Indians however this is mainly a result of a lower prevalence of smoking among Mexican and Mexican American women. Mexican American and Mexican male smoking may be as common as White males. People who identify themselves as Mexican Americans have a higher prevalence of smoking than Mexicans.
Delnevo, Cristine D., Jane Lewis, Ira Kaufman, and Diane J. Abatemarco. 2004. “Defining Cigarette Smoking Status in Young Adults: A Comparison of Adolescent vs. Adult Measures.? American Journal of Health Behavior 28:374-380.
The objective of this study was to determine agreement between 2 measures (adult vs. adolescent) of current smoking among young adults by examining 1007 young adults from the New Jersey Adult Tobacco Survey. This survey was a random-digit-dialing (RDD) sampling approach was used. Over 3900 adults, including 1007 young adults completed surveys during the fall of 2001. This data is based on self-reports.
Findings: The mean age of participants was 20.7 years and a little more than half were male (50.4 percent). The majority of the participants were white (60.6 percent) and 19 percent were Latino. “Agreement between the 2 definitions for current cigarette smoking was high, but by no means ideal, and varied by demographic characteristics? (p. 378). Adolescents may have smoked in the past 30 days, but often do not meet the requirement of having smoked 100 cigarettes in their lifetime. Certain subgroups may be at an increased risk to begin smoking after the age of 18. “Third, Hispanic males initiate experimentation and daily smoking a year later than their white counterparts; the average age of daily smoking for Hispanic males is 18.6, compared to 17.6 for white males? (p. 379).
Foraker, Randi E., Christi A. Patten, Keila N. Lopez, Ivana T. Croughan, and Janet L. Thomas. 2004. “Beliefs and Attitudes Regarding Smoking among Young Adult Latinos: A Pilot Study.? Preventive Medicine 41:126-133.
Qualitative pilot study that employed semi-structured interviews to assess beliefs and attitudes regarding tobacco use interventions among young adult Latinos. Participants were 19 Latinos adults (37 percent) female, 18-24 years of age.
Findings: Tobacco use is more common among men, and most prevalent in social situations. Tobacco use is discouraged by and often hidden from elder family members. Latino smokers do not ask for help to quit. They attempted to quit cold turkey and believed nicotine replacement was ineffective. Cost of smoking cessation programs was listed as barrier. They did not trust research process. Study believes promotoras will help. Families and word of mouth are important.
González Castro, Felipe. 2004. “Physiological, Psychological, Social, and Cultural Influences on the Use of Menthol Cigarettes among Blacks and Hispanics.? Nicotine and Tobacco Research 6:S29-S41.
This study looks into the factors for why Blacks and Latinos use menthol cigarettes by reviewing the literature. There is no discussion of the methods used for this study.
Findings: Laboratory experiments have shown that menthol produces certain sensory stimulation and it is not certain whether this is genetic. Continued use leads to desensitization rather than burning or stinging. Peer groups have been shown to be an influence on smoking. Discrimination may play a part. Cigarettes have been found to be the most heavily promoted product in the United States. In addition, the author reviews subjective norms and values, and health related beliefs. Menthol has not been shown to increase cancer rates for Blacks but with higher levels of CO and cotinine. Castro argues that most articles relating to Blacks and Latinos are the lack of discussion of heterogeneity. There also needs to be more theory based research studies that offer better conceptualization.
Gottlieb N H, A Loukas, M Corrao, A McAlister, C Snell, and P P Huang. 2004. “Minors’ Tobacco Possession Law Violations and Intentions to Smoke: Implications for Tobacco Control.? Tobacco Control 13:237-243.
The purpose of this research was to test a policy that suspends driver’s licenses for those who possess tobacco and whether it is differentially enforced. There were a total of 28,249 11 to 18 year old white (45.9 percent), Hispanic (34.1 percent), and African American (20 percent) students attending 27 sampled schools in east and central Texas communities. A little more than half of the participants were female (51.5 percent). “All study questions were addressed using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and the HLM program. HLM allows examination of clustered data (28 249 students nested within 37 schools) and simultaneously models the school level (that is, prevalence of current smoking students within each school and whether students received a prevention programme) and individual level factors that may impact individual smoking behaviours (sic)? (p. 239).
Findings: “Minors in possession citation receipt was not uniquely associated with a lower probability of smoking next year fro experimental or ever-daily smokers, and there were no interaction between MIP citation and tolerance for smoking related deviance? (p. 239). The exception was four schools that did decrease the probability of next year smoking. Hispanics and African Americans who smoked every day had a lower probability of smoking next year compared to Whites. Being African American or Latino increased the probability of receiving a citation in comparison to their White peers and this law may be differentially enforced. This is based on self-reports and further official court record documents would be needed to substantiate these claims.
Gritz, Ellen R., Damon J. Vidrine, Amy B. Lazev, Benjamin C. Amick III, and Roberto C. Arduino. 2004. “Smoking Behavior in a Low-Income Multiethnic HIV/AIDS Population.? Nicotine and Tobacco Research 6:71-77.
The purpose of this study was to describe smoking prevalence and behavior among a low income multiethnic HIV/AIDS population by using a cross-sectional design. Six-hundred-and-seventeen people were approached for this study and a little more than half consented (62.4%). There were 348 participants who answered a self-report survey of these 78% were male, 25% White, 44% Black, and 29% Latino. The participants’ average age was 40.2 years. 46% had sex with men, 35% heterosexual, and 11% injected drugs.
Findings: The prevalence of current smoking was 46.9 percent whereas the lifetime prevalence of smoking was 62.8 percent. Males were significantly more likely to be current smokers. Latinos were less likely to be current smokers compared to Whites. College education resulted in a greater number of people who had quit smoking than a high school education or less. Depression was prevalent in the sample (30.3%). Heavy drinkers and illicit drug users were more likely to be current smokers and less likely to have quit. Latinos were more likely to be never smokers whereas both Blacks and Whites were more likely to be current smokers. The mean age of starting to smoke was 17.0 years. The majority of participants had never tried nicotine replacement therapy, but wants to quit.
Hessol, Nancy A., Brian Missett, and Elena Fuentes-Afflick. 2004. “Lower Agreement on Behavioral Factors than on Medical Conditions in Self-Reported Data among Pregnant Women.? Archives of Medical Research 35:241-245.
The purpose of this study was to assess agreement between self-reported data and medical record data with regard to prenatal risk factors in pregnant Latina women at the San Francisco General Hospital in San Francisco County. Ethnicity was defined by self-identification. The authors interviewed 350 Latina women at >20 weeks’ gestation regarding alcohol use, tobacco use, use of prenatal vitamins, age, education, use of prenatal care, and medical conditions. All participants were 15-44 years of age. The women answered 155 questions in a 45-minute structured interview administered by bilingual (Spanish and English) research assistants.
Findings: The mean age for women was 25.3 years. The majority of women (57 percent) were born in Mexico. Nearly 90 percent reported Spanish as their primary language. Eighty-four percent were on MediCal which is the California state-run Medicaid program. 5.9 percent self-reported tobacco use, 1 percent self reported tobacco use and their medical record did not show these findings, 1.7 percent self –reported no tobacco use and the medical records indicated that this was a risk factor. “Agreement between self-reported and medical record data was generally lower for behavioral factors (alcohol k=0.37 and prenatal vitamin use k=0.09) than for medical conditions? (p. 241). This study suggests that data concerning tobacco use and Latina women for self-report and medical record data were accurate and precise.
Hunter, Jennifer B., Jill Guernsey de Zapien, Mary Papenfuss, Maria Lourdes Fernandez, Joel Meister, and Anna R. Giuliano. 2004. “The Impact of a Promotora on Increasing Routine Chronic Disease Prevention Among Women Aged 40 and Older at the U.S.-Mexico Border.? Health Education and Behavior 31:18S-28S
Randomized controlled intervention tested the effectiveness of a community health worker program increasing compliance with annual preventive exams among uninsured Hispanic women living in a rural U.S. Mexico Border area.
Findings: Receiving the promotora intervention was associated with a 35 percent increase in rescreening over the postcard-only reminder.
Using promotoras is an effective strategy for reaching this female population.