American Journal of Preventive Medicine
ArticleTobacco Use and Cessation Among Somalis in Minnesota
Section snippets
Background
Somalis compose the largest African refugee group living in the U.S., with more than 10,330 primary arrivals in fiscal year 2006 alone.1 The largest population (most recently estimated at 25,000 in 2004) resides in Minnesota.2 Similar to other refugee and immigrant groups, Somalis face unique health concerns and barriers such as lack of healthcare coverage (approximately 36% of Somali men have no health insurance)3; language; low literacy rates (of both English and Somali); transportation
Key Informant Interviews
Key informant interviews were the first in a series of exploratory methods employed to understand tobacco use and cessation among Somalis in Minnesota. The aim was to collect qualitative data to give direction to subsequent research and inform future programmatic work. Twenty informants were selected from known Somali community leaders and members and non-Somali professionals based on occupational connections to the Somali community in the areas of health, social services, and education. Other
Demographics
Eleven men and nine women were interviewed as key informants (n=20; Table 1). The majority of informants had college or advanced degrees (n=15). By contrast, the majority of the 45 men and 46 women (n=91; Table 2, Table 3) interviewed during focus groups had less than a high school education (n=72), which is more representative of the Somali population. Of the focus group participants, 32 men and 32 women were current smokers. Among focus group participants who smoked (n=63; 1 missing), the
Discussion
Due to the dearth of information available on the Somali population and the concern of community leaders over tobacco use, this study was carried out to improve prevention and cessation efforts. It offers groundbreaking results as current literature on this population is limited to prevalence estimates. It was found that Somalis perceive tobacco use as a widespread practice in their community. Many smokers view smoking as a social activity, and detrimental health effects are often unknown.
While
Conclusion
It is clear that the Somali community identifies tobacco use as problematic and widespread. New public health endeavors within the Somali community will need to find unconventional ways to address tobacco use and should utilize pre-established social networks, particularly the medical and religious community, in designing and implementing programs and challenging social norms. Due to the harsh social stigma, female smokers require specific interventions and prevention efforts. The growing
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