Cigarette use attitudes and effects of acculturation among Arab immigrants in USA: A preliminary study

Linda Haddad, Omar El-Shahawy, Kawkab Shishani, Hala Madanat, Sukaina Alzyoud

Department of Family and Community Health & Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, Faculty of Nursing, Virginia.
Department of Social and Behavioral Health, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA.
Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA.
Hashemite University School of Nursing, Zarqa, Jordan.
Washington State University, Spokane, Washington, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/health.2012.410122                

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore cigarette use patterns, which include current use, beliefs, attitudes, attempts to quit, and acculturation, among Arab immigrants. A sample of self-identified Arab immigrants (221) living in the Richmond, VA metropolitan area was recruited from Middle Eastern groceries, restaurants/lounges, and faith and charitable organizations. Men in this sample had higher rates of cigarette smoking (67.6%) than the rest of the general adult US population. Many smokers in the study had the desire to quit and had made attempts to quit. Further analysis of acculturation in relation to the risk of not considering quitting was performed using logistic regression. The older an individual was when he/she moved to the US (OR = 0.93, CI: 0.87, 0.98) and the more time an individual had spent in the US (OR = 0.93, CI: 0.88, 0.98) contributed significantly to the least number of quit attempts. Further random sampling and study is needed to confirm the high prevalence of tobacco use among this minority group.

Keywords

Arab Immigrants; Tobacco Smoking; Acculturation; Minority Smoking

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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