Beliefs and attitudes regarding smoking among young adult Latinos: a pilot study

Tobacco use interventions for young adult Latinos have not yet been developed. This qualitative pilot study employed semistructured interviews to assess beliefs and attitudes regarding tobacco use interventions among young adult Latinos.

The size of the individual or group interviews ranged from one to four participants each. Participants were 19 Latino adults (37% female), 18-24 years of age. The interviews were videotaped and transcribed for analysis of common themes.

Use of tobacco in Latino cultures is most common among men, and most prevalent in social situations. Tobacco use is discouraged by and often hidden from elder family members. Participants acknowledged adverse health effects of tobacco use. Barriers to preventing and stopping tobacco use are its acceptance among peers and its use during social situations. Although some Latinos would like to quit, cultural barriers included lack of knowledge, unwillingness to ask for help, and perceived deficiency of Spanish language resources regarding tobacco dependence interventions. Participants lacked understanding of how research might benefit their cultural community.

Cultural attitudes toward tobacco and perceived barriers to quitting will be useful in developing tobacco use interventions for Latinos.