NRT understandings and usage among Chinese and Vietnamese Men

Audience: Community-based agencies, clinicians, and researchers serving Asian immigrants, especially Chinese and Vietnamese. Key Points: The decline in smoking prevalence in California has not translated equally to all ethnic subgroups, particularly among Chinese and Vietnamese men. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) including nicotine patch, gum and lozenge are accessible over- the-counter and have been shown to be effective, however, they remain underutilized by many smokers including Chinese and Vietnamese smokers. Understanding and addressing the factors that contribute to underutilization are necessary to increase usage of evidence-based smoking cessation aids such as NRT. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 13 smoker-family pairs (4 pairs of Chinese and 9 pairs of Vietnamese), followed by individual interviews with each participant. Interviews were conducted in both Chinese and Vietnamese, recorded, translated and transcribed into English for analysis. Most interviewees had heard of NRT, referred to as “gum,” “patch,” or “candy.” Smoker and family member participants expressed mixed beliefs about the helpfulness of NRT for stopping smoking; both smokers and family members viewed ‘will power,’ adverse effects of smoking on others, and other non-NRT aids such as chewing gum and candies as more important than the use of NRT. Variation in usage was linked to concerns about over exposure to nicotine and misconceptions of NRT. Educational Experience: The presentation will illustrate the participants’ conceptions of NRT and these conceptions can be incorporated in future NRT educational programs. Benefits: Our findings indicate the importance and promotion of patient education on smoking cessation medications and NRT use.