Chinese-American Smoking Cessation Study at Flushing New York City NY - Marianne Fahs Donna Shelly Asian Americans for Equality National Cancer Institute NYC Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene

Chinese-American Smoking Cessation Study at Flushing New York City NY
- Marianne Fahs Donna Shelly Asian Americans for Equality  National
Cancer Institute NYC Dept of Health and Mental Hygiene
=======
initial news item...

Asian smoking habits study announced at Flushing mall 
Cipi Eisenberg.  
Times Ledger - Flushing New York City.  October 16 2003
source:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10328797&BRD=1079&PAG=461&dept_id=506421&rfi=6
text:
The Chinese American Smoking Cessation Initiative[0] kicked 
off its community outreach project at the Flushing Mall 
last Thursday, the second phase of the nation's largest 
ever study of the Chinese- American community's smoking habits. 
About 50 onlookers applauded as a group of community, 
academic, and government organizers clustered onstage 
around a four-foot pillow cigarette marked with a large
red "X" and pledged to do their best to stamp out smoking.
"Given the high smoking rate, we may be facing an epidemic 
in this community," said Dr. Marianne Fahs, director 
of the Health Policy Research Center at the New School 
University's Milano Graduate School of Management and 
Urban Policy[1]. "We have to wake up to the real health 
effects now because if we don't, we will have to pay later." 
Downtown Flushing is the center of the borough's 
largest Chinese-American community and one of several 
such neighborhoods in the city.
Fahs is one of two academic research partners overseeing 
the study, which she calls an example of good science 
and good policy. The first phase of the project began 
a year ago, after Fahs and the study's other partner,
Dr. Donna Shelley of the Columbia University 
Mailman School of Public Health[2], won a competitive 
grant from the National Cancer Institute[3]. 
The four-year grant is now in its implementation phase, 
which will last for 1 1/2 years. The study will conclude 
with follow-up questions for the participants to 
find out what changes have taken place. The results 
will then be analyzed and disseminated. 
The random survey of 2,542 Chinese-American households 
found that Chinese American men smoke at a 50 percent 
higher average than the general New York City population. 
Chinese-American women do not smoke at that high a rate. 
In China, the world's largest tobacco growing country,
63 percent of men smoke regularly. The Chinese government 
has a history of both encouraging smoking as an alternative 
to opium and discouraging it as a dirty habit, the survey said.
It also found that although 60 percent of Chinese-American 
men were interested in quitting smoking, they had very 
little knowledge of its adverse health effects. A 
significant number, for example, were unaware that 
nicotine was addictive. 
The strongest predictor of quitting is knowledge, and 
anti-smoking campaigns, which are commonplace in New 
York, were "virtually non-existent" in the Chinese-American 
community, Shelley noted.
The two researchers are collaborating closely with Asian 
Americans for Equality[4], a community advocacy group 
organizing the outreach and community efforts. These 
include managing information lines and conducting community
forums, distributing brochures, and putting up posters 
in doctor's offices. Awareness and education programs 
will also extend to both radio and print ads. 
The initiative's slogan, "Quitting smoking is hard, 
but...You can do it!," was developed with the help of 
community focus groups, which stressed motivation and 
politeness as important components of any outreach campaign. 
Other culturally sensitive suggestions that were 
implemented include colors that suggest positive action, 
Asian images, and counselors and information line 
operators who speak different Chinese dialects. 
There will also be a strong focus on the smoker's 
family members.
"We've learned that one of the best ways to get through 
to the men is through their wives and other family 
members," said Fahs. 
The city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene[5] is 
funding the initiative, along with the National Cancer Institute.
"What's important is that this community sees that there 
is a major health problem and they are coming together, 
joining resources to help the community," said Dr. 
Nancy Miller, assistant commissioner of the city Bureau 
of Tobacco Control[6]. 
Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing)[7], who was on hand to 
lend support, said he hoped the effort's message would 
filter through. "Ultimately, it's going to lead to a 
safer and cleaner community," he said. 

footnotes/cross references....

[0]
MILANO GRADUATE SCHOOL'S HEALTH POLICY RESEARCH CENTER 
RECEIVES $4.8 MILLION GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
- GRANT TO GO TOWARDS STUDY ON "EFFECTS OF SMOKING CESSATION
  INTERVENTIONS IN A CHINESE POPULATION" 
source:
http://www.newschool.edu/html/press%20release/06_12_mgs_grant.html
excerpts:
(New York, NY - June 17, 2002) The Milano Graduate School's Health 
Policy Research Center has received a $4.8 million grant from the 
National Cancer Institute for a study to evaluate the effects of 
smoking cessation programs in a Chinese American community. The 
Center will be working closely with NYC's health commissioner, 
Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, on the study. The project will examine 
the effectiveness of culturally and linguistically appropriate 
media campaigns plus increased access to on-site community-based 
tobacco cessation services in positively influencing tobacco-related 
attitudes, beliefs and behaviors among a New York City Chinese 
American population....

[1]
Dr. Marianne Fahs, Director
Health Policy Research Center at the New School 
University's Milano Graduate School of Management and 
Urban Policy
The New York Progressive Network Professional Profile
http://www.nypn.org/htm/resources/marianne-fahs.html
66 Fifth Avenue, Room 905, New York, NY 10011
Tel: 212-229-5383, Fax: 212-229-5335
[EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] 

[2]
Dr. Donna Shelley
 assistant professor of sociomedical science 
Columbia University 
EMail:     [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Mailman's Center for Applied Public Health.
http://www.mailman.hs.columbia.edu/index.html 

[3]
National Cancer Institute
National Institute of Health
http://www.nci.nih.gov/
Research grant information 
http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/grants/abstract.asp?ApplID=6611044

Grant: 5R01CA093788-02
Primary Investigator:  Fahs, Marianne C.
Research Name: EFFECT OF SMOKING CESSATION INTERVENTIONS IN A CHINESE 

Abstract: 
Description (provided by applicant): Tobacco use is the most important
cause of preventable death in this country for all racial/ethnic
groups.
Over $70 billion in direct medical costs is a t tributable to tobacco-
related disease. Chinese Americans may be at particularly high risk
for
excess tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. It is estimated that 
73% of men in China smoke. Yet, smoking behaviors, attitudes and
beliefs
among Chinese Americans remain largely undocumented. The New York City
Department of Health Tobacco Control Program (NYCTCP) together with 
their community partners is developing and implementing an innovative 
community-based intervention, tailored to Chinese Americans. The
principle aim of this research is to test the hypothesis that
culturally
and linguistically appropriate media campaign, plus increased access 
to on-site community-based cessation services, will be more effective,
and more cost-effective, in positively influencing tobacco-related
 attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors among a minority population, 
than will be culturally appropriate media approaches alone. We will 
assess age-specific prevalence rates, and tobacco-related attitudes, 
beliefs, and behaviors, among two Chinese American communities in 
New York City. The research design is a quasi-experimental pre- 
post-test design with nonequivalent intact comparison groups from 
two geographically distinct Chinese communities. The sample design 
will consist of a cross-sectional component to estimate smoking 
prevalence and a longitudinal study of baseline respondents. 
Individual-level data will be obtained from face-to-face interviews 
with representative individuals using standardized survey instruments.
In addition, process evaluation methods will be used to assess the 
intervention implementation. Study results will provide important 
information on how to allocate limited resources for community 
tobacco control interventions, designed to influence an Asian 
American population, in the most cost-effective manner. 

[4]
Asian Americans for Equality
http://www.aafe.org/
profile
http://www.asianweb.net/news/english/aafe.htm

[5]
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/home.html

[6]
Dr. Nancy Miller, assistant commissioner 
The New York City Bureau of Tobacco Control
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/smoke/smoke.html
(212) 676-2141.

[7]
Councilman John Liu (Democrat-Flushing)
http://www.liunewyork.com/

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