Chewing tobacco use among South‐East Asian men in Auckland

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the use of chewing tobacco by South East Asian men in Auckland and their difficulty in giving up the habit.Design/methodology/approachSemi‐structured interviews with ten men were conducted in a grounded theory case study design. Snowball sampling was used to identify and recruit participants from hard‐to‐find populations. Written consents were obtained.FindingsEach of the men attributed their initiation to chewing tobacco to the influence of friends and the society in which they lived. They all were aware that chewing tobacco could increase their risk for oral cancer and wanted to quit. New Zealand law prohibits the import and sale of oral forms of tobacco. However, the men in this study were still able to get chewing tobacco via friends and family bringing it into the country “for personal use”.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper opens up a space for further research within the South East Asian communities, with the view to identifying and developing effective cessation methods.Originality/valueThis paper is significant as there has been minimal research conducted on the pervasiveness of chewing tobacco in the South East Asian communities in New Zealand.