Neighborhood Factors Might Influence Whether Asian-Americans Smoke, Study Finds

"Association Between Neighborhood Context and Smoking Prevalence Among Asian-Americans," American Journal of Public Health: Namratha Kandula of the Division of General Internal Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and colleagues examined data from a 2003 health survey and the 2000 Census to examine the prevalence of smoking among Asian-Americans in California. Researchers looked at three neighborhood factors: ethnic enclaves, socioeconomics and perceived social cohesion. Twenty-two percent of 1,693 Asian men studied and 6% of 2,174 Asian women reported smoking. Women living in ethnic enclaves were less likely to smoke, while men who believed their neighborhood was more cohesive were less likely to smoke. Smoking prevention and cessation interventions targeting Asian-Americans might be more effective if they consider neighborhood characteristics, according to the study (Kandula et al., American Journal of Public Health, May 2009).