Smoking Cessation with Ethnic Minorities: Themes and Approaches

Abstract

Research investigating ethnic group differences in smoking prevalences, and smoking attitudes and behavior, is reviewed. Factors relating to the development of culturally sensitive smoking cessation interventions are discussed and several examples are provided of recent efforts to target smoking cessation initiatives toward minority communities. The problem of recruitment and retention of minority participants in health behavior research remains a vexing issue, which may best be addressed by incorporating smoking cessation interventions within regular health care, workplace, or school settings.

Key Words:

• smoking cessation
• ethnic minorities
• cultural factors