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Effectiveness of disseminating culturally appropriate smoking-cessation information: Programa Latino Para Dejar de
1Department of Psychology, University of San Francisco, Calif 94117-1080, USA.
Background:
The need for a culturally appropriate smoking-cessation intervention for Latinos is based on data on current patterns of tobacco use, possible targeting by the tobacco industry, and the lack of smoking-cessation interventions that are appropriate to the cultural characteristics of Latino smokers.
Purpose:
Our goal was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Programa Latino Para Dejar de Fumar (PLDF) in disseminating smoking-cessation information in San Francisco's Latino community.
Methods:
Annual cross-sectional telephone surveys were conducted from 1986 to 1993 of Latino adults, 18-65 years of age, living in census tracts with at least 10% Latinos. Surveys in 1986 and 1987 formed the base line for comparison of PLDF effects.
Results:
Awareness of a Hispanic smoking-cessation program (odds ratio [OR] = 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09-1.14), awareness of PLDF specifically (OR = 1.14; 95% CI = 1.10-1.17), awareness of available printed information to help smokers quit (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.06-1.12), and having a copy of the Guía Para Dejar de Fumar (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.05-1.14) were significantly associated with year of survey. In addition, those same variables were significantly associated with a lower acculturation score (respective ORs = 3.95, and 95% CI = 3.57-4.37; OR = 5.40, and 95% CI = 4.86-6.01; OR = 0.63, and 95% CI = 0.58-0.69; and OR = 4.54, and 95% CI = 3.89-5.30). Women were more likely than men to report awareness of a Hispanic smoking-cessation program (OR = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.81-0.96), awareness of PLDF (OR = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.77-0.92), and awareness of available printed information (OR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.72-0.85). Cigarette-smoking prevalence decreased from 1986 through 1990, stabilized in 1991, and appeared to increase among all groups in 1993. Prevalence of smoking cessation remained stable overall, but it showed a steady increase among less acculturated respondents.
Conclusion:
We conclude that a culturally appropriate community intervention to promote nonsmoking can be successful at disseminating information about smoking cessation. Latino community norms about smoking are evolving, leading to decreased social acceptability.