By LAN NGUYEN
Special to NGUOI VIET 2
Orange County is home to the largest group of Vietnamese Americans in the United States. A rich culture is found upon entering the Little Saigon area of Westminster, Calif., where traditional values and practices are highly regarded. One health habit that continues to exist within the Vietnamese community is smoking. A factor that makes the addiction very difficult to quit is that smoking is very common during social interactions among Vietnamese men, to the extent that it would be considered disrespectful not to smoke, according to experts. Therefore, smoking continues to be socially acceptable. Health-care providers play an integral role in influencing the health decisions of their Vietnamese American patients. To help them break their addiction to tobacco, it is important to discuss their smoking habits with them and offer ways to quit.
As a health-care provider, you can help reduce tobacco use in the Vietnamese community by remembering the following:
1. Understanding cultural influences: Vietnamese American men smoke because smoking continues to be socially acceptable in their communities. By understanding key triggers that cause them to smoke, health-care providers can communicate and develop a relationship with their clients. This can help to build trust and increase the influence that health care providers have on their patients’ health decisions.
2. Being culturally sensitive: Vietnamese American men tend to underutilize resources in their community either due to pride or fear of losing “face” or feeling a sense of embarrassment. It is important to let them know that they are being courageous for seeking help and that they are not alone in this struggle with tobacco use.
3. Getting connected: Often times, people are in need of assistance but are not aware of where to go. As a health-care provider, you are a great resource to help connect your clients to free services, including what we provide at Nhan Hoa Community Clinic. We offer free tobacco-cessation services and nicotine patches to adults 18 and older who live or work in Orange County. If you have patients who want to quit smoking, have them contact us at (866) 639-5864. Our services are available in Vietnamese, English and Spanish.
Together, we can make a difference in the Vietnamese American community and contribute to healthy, tobacco-free living.
Lan Nguyen works in the Health Education Department at Nhan Hoa Comprehensive Healthcare Clinic.
