The current increase in smoking rates among Hispanic youth has shed light on the void of information that exists in regards to smoking habits and cultural influences. Researchers at The University of Southern California’s (USC) Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center (TTURC) are learning to understand the perceptions of youth by looking at the role that family, peers, and cultural identity play in the lives of Hispanic youth. In order to investigate how social resources function as a vehicle of communication and reinforcement of smoking habits among Hispanic youth, USC’s TTURC developed focus groups that specifically targeted Hispanic adolescents between the ages of twelve and fifteen from Central American and Mexican cultures, living in the Los Angeles area. The focus groups were designed to understand how social networks such as family and peers support or prevent youth in experimenting with tobacco products. Youth-based idiomatic expressions and the cultural meaning of language were extracted from the focus group data in order to develop a culturally tailored survey. The information gathered from the survey will further assist researchers in designing smoking prevention programs for Hispanic communities in California and nationwide. Culturally competent prevention programs may be able to counter the cultural influences that support smoking as well as, integrate the cultural factors that deter youth from smoking.
Learning Objectives: To present the focus group data gathered from Hispanic youth in the Los Angeles area for the purpose of smoking prevention among Hispanic youth.
Keywords: Hispanic Youth, Smoking
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.