IRTA Postdoctoral Fellow
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Project Title: “Ecological momentary assessment of predictors of smoking episodes among Latino young adult nondaily vs. daily smokers.”
Latinos, who comprise 18% of the U.S. population, have unique smoking habits. Latino youth are more susceptible to smoking than whites of the same age group. Latino young adults are likelier to be non-daily smokers than whites. Although non-daily smokers report little to no smoking dependence, they quit smoking as often as daily smokers, and are prone to the same health risks of smoking. Latinos are less likely to be offered pharmaceutical and behavioral cessation aids by physicians, and have fewer culturally tailored cessation interventions available to them, compared to their white counterparts. Nondaily Latino smokers are likelier to be foreign-born, have stronger ties with their indigenous culture, and prefer communicating in Spanish, compared to Latino daily smokers who are likelier to be U.S.-born and more acculturated.
Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is a data collection method in which participants are assessed in real-time during a smoking episode. Because of its episodic nature, nondaily smoking is amenable for studying by EMA. The extension of Global Positioning System (GPS) to EMAs, called Geographically Explicit Ecological Momentary Assessment (GEMA), allows geographical data to be consistently captured and cross-referenced to validate self-reported data (e.g., location of smoking episode) or extrapolate additional information (e.g., smoking regulations). Data shows that young adults tend to adhere to GEMA protocols for assessing cigarette smoking.
Dr. Kamke proposes a three-week GEMA study aiming to identify antecedents of nondaily versus daily smoking behaviors among Latino young adults aged 18 to 29. Understanding antecedents of nondaily smoking and how they differ from daily smoking will inform smoking cessation interventions, and the focus on Latinos will inform culturally tailored behavioral interventions that overcome time, cost, and logistical barriers typically experienced by Latino smokers, to ultimately reduce tobacco burden in this population.
