ABSTRACT
Objective: To examine patterns of tobacco use and associated factors among South Asians living in the United States. A review of existing domestic interventions to address tobacco use is provided, as well as recommendations to further understand and curb tobacco use among South Asian Americans.
120 Key Findings: Unlike mainstream tobacco use in Western countries, the South Asian population's tobacco use in the United States shows no definitive association with socioeconomic status. Current literature indicates a differential rate in use of tobacco products across all age groups and income/education levels. Cultural tobacco products, forms of tobacco that are indigenous to South Asian countries, continue to be brought into the United States through covert channels. The limited data in the United States are congruent with the larger body of international literature indicating that cultural tobacco use among South Asians is a serious health concern.
Recommendations: Continued monitoring of cultural tobacco use, including prevalence, community-based participatory methods, and qualitative inquiry, is needed to develop and evaluate public health campaigns aimed at tobacco control among South Asians in the United States. A coordinated and comprehensive strategy that encompasses research, practice, and policy should emphasize the dangers of cultural tobacco product use. Mainstream tobacco-control messaging, policy making, and programming need to be more visible in US neighborhoods with large South Asian populations, while addressing unique determinants of use. The procurement and sale of cultural tobacco products should be targeted in order to disrupt the supply-chain cycle for such products.
