Smoking trends among Filipino adults in California, 1990–2002

Objectives Filipinos comprise about 18% of the Asian/Pacific Islander American (APIA) population and are increasing. Few studies have examined Filipino current smoking prevalence rates (CSPR) and none have described trends over time. Methods Trends in CSPR were estimated for Filipinos and non-Hispanic whites (NHW) from 1990–2002 from the California Tobacco Surveys (N > 42,000/year). Results CSPR for Filipino males declined: 23.7% (95% CI: 18.7, 28.7) in 1990 to 18.7% (15.3, 22.1) in 2002 (p < 0.05). The decline in CSPR for Filipino women was non-significant (p = 0.24), 9.8% (5.5, 14.1) in 1990 and 7.7% (5.3, 10.1) in 2002. During the same period, CSPR among NHW males declined: 24.4% (23.8, 25.0) in 1990 to 18.8% (18.1, 19.4) in 2002 (p < 0.01). For female NHW, CSPR were 21.3% (20.5, 22.0) in 1990 and 15.0% (14.4, 15.6) in 2002 (p < 0.01). Adjusted logistic regression for Filipinos suggest that English language use is associated with current smoking among females (p < 0.01) and that, overall, 18–29 year-olds were more likely to be current smokers than those 45+ years old (p < 0.01). Conclusion Trends for male Filipino current smokers declined similarly to male NHW from 1990–2002; female rates were lower but did not decline. Future smoking prevention and cessation programs would benefit by taking into account important differences in smoking rates between genders and age groups.