Commit to Quit: Results of a Community-Driven Tobacco Intervention for Arab American Women

Arab Americans are at risk for disproportionately high use of commercial tobacco products, including among women, for whom waterpipe (shisha) smoking is increasingly normative. Culturally- and gender-responsive interventions, however, are scarce. We developed and tested Commit to Quit (CtQ), a novel community-driven tobacco intervention designed for Arab American women in Northern California. The program mobilized Arab American community women to support tobacco cessation and prevention within their community. Immigrant Arab American women participated in biweekly virtual sessions conducted in Arabicto learn about tobacco risks, cultural smoking norms, and prevention and cessation strategies and then support friends and relatives to quit through a peer-to-peer brief intervention. Pre- and post-program assessments measured changes in tobacco use behaviors, self-efficacy, and community engagement. Compared to a comparison group (n = 190), CtQ participants (n = 28) were significantly more likely to engage in cessation efforts, utilize various quitting methods, and promote smoke-free environments. Participants demonstrated increased self-efficacy incommunity activism and leadership. By centering Arab American women in tobacco interventions through culturally and linguistically accessible programming that addressed social smoking norms, CtQ facilitated increased community awareness and mobilized women to act as change agents to improve their own and their community's health. Community-driven interventions that are gender-responsive may reduce tobacco-related health disparities in underserved populations.