TITLE:
Insights into Cigarette and Waterpipe Use among Houston-Based Arab Immigrants and Refugees
AUTHORS:
Fatin Atrooz, Taghrid Asfar, Olusanya Joshua Oluwole, Lorra Garey, Samina Salim, Michael J. Zvolensky
KEYWORDS:
Cigarette Smoking, Waterpipe Smoking, Arab Immigrants, Arab Refugees
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.12 No.3,
March
18,
2024
ABSTRACT: Despite the decrease in tobacco use in the United
States, it remains a public health concern among Arab Americans. Yet, limited
studies have examined tobacco use among this population, especially among Arab
refugees who experience significant stressors of displacement and resettlement
that potentially influence the onset, maintenance, and addiction of tobacco. We
conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess the prevalence of cigarette and
waterpipe use (the most common forms of tobacco use among Arabs) in a sample of 250 Arab Americans, including refugees (76%
female; 41.4 ± 12.4 years) residing in a large Houston metropolitan
area. We observed that the prevalence of current cigarette smokers was
significantly higher among males than females (45% and 3.2%, respectively; p nce of current waterpipe smokers was significantly
higher among males than females (16.7% and 13.2%, respectively; p = 0.049). Unexpectedly, the prevalence of current cigarette smokers and the
prevalence of waterpipe smokers were comparable between Arab American
immigrants and refugees. Multivariable logistic regression analysis
demonstrated that males are more likely to smoke cigarettes than females (AOR:
35.29; 95% CI: 9.56, 130.31). And 40 years and older individuals are more
likely to smoke cigarettes than the younger group (AOR: 12.65; 95% CI: 1.08,
147.80). The high prevalence of cigarette and waterpipe use among Arab American
immigrants and refugees is a public health concern; hence, developing
evidence-based and culturally sensitive smoking cessation interventions for
this understudied population is warranted.