Promoting the health & well being of African women & their families in Minnesota

Second-hand Smoke Research Project

MAWA, in collaboration with Wilder Research, is conducting a research project sponsored by ClearWay Minnesota on secondhand smoke exposure among African-born women, girls and children within the Twin Cities. The purpose of this study is to learn the extent to which this group may be exposed to secondhand smoke. The research findings will be used to raise awareness in the African immigrant communities on the harmful effects of tobacco exposure among women, girls and children. This research will also begin efforts to dispel that exposure. 

We will conduct four focus groups with African girls, ages 14 through 18 years of age and ten key informant interviews with African women leaders. Our goal is to learn about their experiences, knowledge and understanding of tobacco control messages on secondhand smoke. We will also identify beliefs, cultural norms, and anything that has prohibited them from protecting themselves against the harms of secondhand smoke exposure.

There will be protection of human subject, privacy acts, and a stipend to each participant. This project will enhance our knowledge on eliminating tobacco related disparities and raise awareness in African immigrant communities about the risks of secondhand smoke among women, girls, and children of each focus group.

The geographic focus of this project is the Twin Cities Metro area where African immigrants and refugee populations are concentrated.

International research indicates an increase in smoking rates among African people. Although men are much more likely to smoke than women, it is still a growing problem because they smoke in social settings and the rate seems to be climbing for immigrants that settle in Minnesota.

We will bring updates as this project progresses. For more information, contact the coordinator at mawa.health@yahoo.com or call 612-588-7666.

Any public dissemination of information relating to the grant-funded project described here was made possible by Grant Number RC-2007-0022 from ClearWay Minnesota^SM. The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of ClearWay Minnesota.

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