Generation 1.5: Years in the United States and Other Factors Affecting Smoking Behaviors Among Asian Americans

Abstract

Introduction: Generation 1.5, immigrants who moved to a different country before adulthood, are hypothesized to have unique cognitive and behavioral patterns. We ex­amined the possible differences in cigarette smoking between Asian subpopulations who arrived in the United States at different life stages.Methods: Using the Asian subsample of the 2015 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Cur­rent Population Survey, we tested this Gen­eration 1.5 hypothesis with their smoking behavior. This dataset was chosen because its large sample size allowed for a national-level analysis of the Asian subsamples by sex, while other national datasets might not have adequate sample sizes for analysis of these subpopulations. The outcome variable was defined as whether the survey respondent had ever smoked 100 cigarettes or more, with the key independent variable operationalized as whether the respon­dent was: 1) born in the United States; 2) entered the United States before 12; 3) entered between 12 and 19; and 4) entered after 19. Logistic regressions were run to examine the associations with covariates including the respondent’s age, educational attainment, and household income.Results: Asian men who entered before 12 were less likely to have ever smoked 100 cigarettes than those who immigrated after 19; for Asian women, three groups (born in the United States, entered before 12, en­tered between 12 and 19) were more likely to have smoked 100 cigarettes than those who immigrated after 19.Conclusions: While Asian men who came to the United States before 12 were less at risk for cigarette smoking than those who immigrated in adulthood, the pattern was the opposite among Asian women. Those who spent their childhood in the United States were more likely to smoke than those who came to the United States in adult­hood. These patterns might result from the cultural differences between US and Asian countries, and bear policy relevance for the tobacco control efforts among Asian Americans. Ethn Dis. 2022;32(2):75-80; doi:10.18865/ed.32.2.75

Nativity Status Predicts Tobacco Use: A Comparative Analysis of US-Born and Foreign-Born Adults From the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS)

“…Previous studies have shown that foreign-born nationals have lower odds of tobacco smoking [18][19][20][21][22]. This is similar to our findings that found 42% lower odds of tobacco smoking among foreign-born nationals compared to US-born nationals.…”

“…In the study by Shi et al among Asian Americans, it was found that foreign-born males who migrated to the USA before age 12 had lower odds of smoking compared to those who migrated in adulthood. This pattern was found to be the opposite in foreign-born Asian females [ 20 ]. In a sample of Hispanic young adults in Florida, first-generation immigrants had a lower risk of tobacco and other substance use, which was explained as lower exposure to social stress than foreign-born naturals were exposed to [ 21 ].…”

“…Immigrants who recently migrated to the USA had 52% lower odds of smoking, which decreased to 32% and 18% after 10-15 years and 15 years, respectively, compared to their US-born counterparts [18,19]. The important factors underlying the relationship between immigration status and tobacco use include age at migration, gender, and acculturation [18,[20][21][22]. In the study by Shi et al among Asian Americans, it was found that foreign-born males who migrated to the USA before age 12 had lower odds of smoking compared to those who migrated in adulthood.…”