Learning Objectives: Recognize that tobacco use patterns among Californian adolescents of Asian Indian, Korean, or Filipino ancestry vary according to gender and grade and are divergent.
Abstract: Californians of Asian / Pacific Islander status demonstrate considerable heterogeneity in tobacco use patterns. Cross-sectional tobacco use data were collected from over 350,000 in-school California 7th, 9th and 11th graders during 1999-2001 via the California Healthy Kids Survey. From this sample, 7,199 students were of Korean ancestry, 6,085 were of Asian Indian ancestry and 23,607 were of Filipino ancestry. Thirty-day tobacco use prevalence was calculated for subgroups defined by gender and grade. Female Asian Indian adolescents reported slightly higher rates than average in the 7th grade (7.9%) but lower than average rates in the 9th grade (9.7%) and especially 11th grade (11.0%). Corresponding percentages for female Korean adolescents were 7.0%, 14.9%, and 21.4%. Corresponding percentages for female Filipino adolescents were 7.2%, 14.4%, and 20.7%. Corresponding percentages for all female adolescents were 6.9%, 13.9%, and 19.6%. Male Asian Indian adolescents reported slightly higher rates than average in the 7th grade (9.8%) and in the 9th grade (15.5%) but slightly lower rates than average in the 11th grade (19.9%). Corresponding percentages for male Korean adolescents were 7.1%, 18.7%, and 31.1%. Corresponding percentages for male Filipino adolescents were 9.1%, 14.0%, and 24.3%. Corresponding percentages for all male adolescents in this sample were 7.9%, 14.1%, and 21.5%. These variations by ethnic background, by gender and by grade are reflective of highly divergent tobacco use patterns among Asian / Pacific Islanders. Possible explanations for these divergent patterns may shed light on how cultural identification can influence adolescent tobacco use behavior.
Back to Evaluation and Surveillance Posters
Back to Evaluation and Surveillance
Back to The 2002 National Conference on Tobacco or Health