Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify determinants of smoking cessation in a sample of male Portuguese Californians using data from the Portuguese Study, a dissertation thesis study with a crosssectional design that assessed 141 smokers and 67 ex-smokers of Portuguese origin residing in Southern and Central California recruited from Portuguese community clubs. Socio-demographics, acculturation, health beliefs, stress, and social support for smoking cessation were assessed and measured in this population. Bivariate predictors of becoming an ex-smoker were being married (p=.01), having a high support index for not smoking (p
Highlights
Smoking epidemic Smoking is a harmful health behavior that leads to premature disease and death
Considering Portuguese immigrants retain their smoking habits once they immigrate to the US - as they tend to socialize with persons of similar background, and tobacco use is a large part of their social interactions - it can be inferred that Portuguese males have a higher rate of smoking than American males
The main results of this study showed that having a high social support for not smoking, disagreement with the belief that health occurs by chance and self-efficacy to stop smoking are important factors to aid in smoking cessation
Summary
Smoking epidemic Smoking is a harmful health behavior that leads to premature disease and death. The World Health Organization (2008) reports that smoking caused the death of 100 million people during the 20th century and estimates more than 1 billion deaths for the 21st century. Smoking prevalence Despite the negative consequences of smoking, it remains prevalent in the US with higher rates for men (23.5%) than for women (17.9%) CDC, 2010). A comparison of smoking rates by ethnic groups shows that rates are similar between Blacks (21.3%) and Whites (22.0%), higher in Native Americans (32.4%), and lower in Asians (9.9%) and Hispanics (15.8%). With disparities among different ethnic groups, there is a need for developing smoking prevention and cessation activities that are sensitive to culture (CDC, 2010)
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