“Tobacco-Free Communities”: A Public Health Message

A guest post from Haiy Le of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department, to share an important public health message about smoking and a call-out for “tobacco-free communities.”

June 15 Radio Discussion: Tobacco’s Terrible Impact On the Vietnamese-American Community 

Staff from the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department will discuss smoking among Vietnamese people on the San Jose-based Vietnamese radio show 1500 AM KSJX with HạVân on June 15 at 7:30 PM PT.

The County of Santa Clara is home to one of the largest Vietnamese-American communities in the country. High rates of smoking among men of Vietnamese heritage in the area put them at risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and many other health problems. Nicole Coxe with the Public Health Department’s Tobacco-Free Communities program will share data from a County survey that reveals 31% of Vietnamese men have smoked in the last month, far higher than any other race or ethnic group. However, only 1% of Vietnamese women report smoking in the past month.

“We know that it’s an unhealthy social norm for Vietnamese men to smoke at cafes and bars with their friends, and we would like to hear from listeners on ideas that address this,” she said.

The Public Health Department encouragers smokers to call the Asian Smokers Quitline at 1-800-778-8440 where they can be connected with a Vietnamese-speaking counselor who can help them set up a quit plan and they may be eligible for free nicotine patches.

“Most people try several times to quit smoking before they quit for good,” Nicole says. “Please quit smoking for the sake of your family and friends.”

On the radio show, Nicole will share her personal story of how she was motivated to help her mom quit smoking and how she got involved in smoking prevention as a high school student and eventually worked her way into a management role with the Tobacco-Free Communities program.

The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department works to advance racial and health equity and eliminate health disparities.

Hear the June 15th radio broadcast with HạVân on KSJX here

 


CONTRIBUTOR BIO

Haiy Le is a Public Communication Specialist (Vietnamese-speaking) at the County of Santa Clara, Public Health Department.

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