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Inclusion of immigrant status in smoking prevalence statistics
Kaari Flagstad Baluja1, Julie Park, Dowell Myers
1Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089-0041, USA.
Objectives:
Data from the 1995-1996 and 1998-1999 Current Population Survey tobacco use supplements were used to examine smoking prevalence statistics by race/ethnicity and immigrant status.
Methods:
Smoking prevalence statistics were calculated, and these data were decomposed by country of birth for Asian immigrants to illustrate the heterogeneity in smoking rates present within racial/ethnic groups.
Results:
Except in the case of male Asian/Pacific Islanders, immigrants exhibited significantly lower smoking prevalence rates than nonimmigrants. However, rates varied according to country of birth.
Conclusions:
This research highlights the need to disaggregate health statistics by race/ethnicity, sex, immigrant status, and, among immigrants, country of birth. Data on immigrants' health behaviors enhance the development of targeted and culturally sensitive public health smoking prevention programs.