A qualitative study of Chinese Canadian fathers’ smoking behaviors: intersecting cultures and masculinities

Abstract

BackgroundChina is home to the largest number of smokers in the world; more than half of the male population smoke. Given the high rates of Chinese immigration to Canada and the USA, researchers have explored the effect of immigration on Chinese smokers. Reduced tobacco use among Chinese immigrants has been reported in the United States; however, little is known about the social factors underlying men’s smoking practices in settings where tobacco control measures have denormalized smoking, and in the context of fatherhood. The purpose of this Canada-based study was to explore the smoking-related experiences of immigrant Chinese fathers.MethodsIn this qualitative study, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 22 Chinese Canadian fathers who smoked or had recently quit smoking, and had at least one child under the age of five years old.ResultsThe Chinese fathers had dramatically changed their smoking patterns due to concern for their children’s health and social norms and restrictions related to smoking in Canada. The facilitators and barriers for men’s smoking were intertwined with idealized masculine provider and protector roles, and diverse Canadian Chinese cultural norms related to tobacco use.ConclusionsThe findings have implications for the development of future smoking cessation interventions targeting Chinese Canadian immigrant smokers as well as smokers in China.

A Qualitative Study on Chinese Canadian Male Immigrants’ Perspectives on Stopping Smoking: Implications for Tobacco Control in China

“…Although this quit level was comparable to the quit rate for California smokers in general (53.3%), the quit rate among Chinese immigrants was roughly seven times the quit rate in China (Zhu et al, 2007). Other studies have reported similar findings: Chinese immigrant smokers tend to reduce their smoking more than other subpopulations (Li, Kwon, Weerasinghe, Rey, & Trinh-Shevrin, 2013;Mao, Bottorff, Oliffe, Sarbit, & Kelly, 2015;Tong, Tang, Chen, & McPhee, 2011;Wyatt, Trinh-Shevrin, Islam, & Kwon, 2014). No in-depth knowledge is available on why Chinese immigrants succeed in their reduction and cessation given the prosmoking culture from which they migrate.…”

“…As all the participants were fathers of children younger than 5 years or were expecting a child, they claimed that becoming a father had prompted them to quit or reduce smoking because of concerns about the impact of their smoking on the health of young children (Mao et al, 2015). However, changes to their smoking were also associated with the negative attitudes of the Canadian society toward smoking.…”

“…For example, longer term immigrants may have different experiences of smoking than new immigrants, because they are affected by acculturation and smoking norms that change over time (Burgess et al, 2014;Gorman, Lariscy, & Kaushik, 2014;Mao et al, 2015;Smith, Ramsay, & Mazure, 2014). Inversely, new immigrants might be an ideal group to explore changed smoking behaviors due to their heightened sensitivity to the antismoking cultures in Canada. In conclusion, the current study identified that Chinese immigrant male smokers were highly responsive to a denormalized smoking environment.…”

Chinese immigrant men smokers’ sources of cigarettes in Canada: A qualitative study

“…These facilitators have been presented elsewhere [24]. Although ‘economic concern’ was cited as an independent facilitator, this factor was, in fact, interplayed with other factors to produce complicated influence on the men’s changed smoking, which will be described in detail below.…”

A Qualitative Study on Unassisted Smoking Cessation Among Chinese Canadian Immigrants

“…This article originates from a study to explore the smoking behaviors of Chinese immigrant men after they became fathers (Mao, Bottorff, Oliffe, Sarbit, & Kelly, 2015). As part of the study, quit attempts were examined and the role of smoking cessation assistance was explored.…”