Hae-Ra Han, RN, PhD¹, Miyong Kim, RN, PhD¹, Jeonghee Kang, PhD, RN², Moonju Ko³, Gina Pistulka, RN, MPH¹, Hwayun Lee, RN, MSN, MPH¹, and Kim B. Kim, PhD³. (1) The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, 525 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21205, (2) School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, 525 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, 410-203-1111, jhkang@korean-center.org, (3) Korean Resource Center, 3201 Rogers Ave, suite 203, Ellicott city, MD 21205

Today's Korean Americans (KAs) are predominantly first-generation immigrants who are monolingual and maintain their own cultural beliefs and attitudes. Although massive anti-smoking campaigns are available via mainstream media, its effectiveness is questionable for this linguistically isolated group. Before launching an anti-smoking media campaign targeting KAs, we surveyed KAs using quota sampling to identify major sources of anti-smoking and other health-related messages in 398 KA households (one in each household). The sample consisted of 177 men (45%) and 221 women (55%) among the ages of 15-24 (17%), 25-54 (59%), and 55 or older (24%). Three out of four (78%) reported that they had been exposed to at least one anti-smoking message during the past 30 days. Most common sources of anti-smoking messages were TV (73%) and print media (e.g., newspapers or magazines) (68%). Other sources included billboard (27%), radio (24%), video (19%), or the internet (18%). Sources of anti-smoking information differed by age group: the younger group (15-24 years) identified mainstream TV as a key source of anti-smoking messages while middle-aged (25-54 years) and older groups (≥ 55 years) were exclusively dependent on Korean print media. In general, KA men were more likely to be exposed to these messages in both languages as compared to KA women, who tended to rely more on ethnic media. The findings suggest that in order to enhance the effectiveness of health communication in KAs, different media sources and languages need to be considered for different age and gender groups.

Learning Objectives:

(
• Identify major media sources of anti-smoking messages for Korean Americans. (
• Identify factors associated with exposure to varied media sources of the anti-smoking campaign for Korean Americans in Maryland.

Keywords: Asian Americans, Media Campaigns

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.