Culturally Specific Versus Standard Smoking Cessation Messages Targeting Hispanics: An Experiment

Few smoking cessation trials have focused on U.S. Hispanics. Consequently, little is known about culturally specific considerations for intervention delivery. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of a written smoking cessation intervention varying in cultural specificity and language. Participants (N = 222) were English-Spanish bilingual Hispanic smokers recruited from the community. A 2 (cultural specificity-culturally specific or standard) = 2 (receipt of preferred language materials-preferred or less preferred) between-subjects experiment was conducted. Participants were assessed at baseline and at a 2-week post intervention follow-up. Dependent variables measured intervention evaluations (intended utilization and content evaluation), cigarettes smoked per day, and smoking cessation (secondary outcome). We hypothesized independent effects of cultural specificity, receipt of preferred language materials, and an interaction effect. Results demonstrated that intended utilization was greater among participants who received the intervention in their preferred language, F(1, 213) = 9.772, p = .002, eta(2) = .044. No differences in content evaluations were observed. However, number of cigarettes smoked per day was lower, and self-reported cessation was significantly greater among participants who received a culturally specific intervention, F(1, 152) = 4.939, p = .028, partial eta(2) = .031, and materials in their preferred language, OR = 5.356, p = .037, 95% CI [1.106, 25.948], respectively. In conclusion, this study contributes to our understanding of dimensions influencing responses to smoking cessation interventions among Hispanics. Both cultural specificity and preferred language delivery appear to be causally related to the intended utilization of interventions and smoking behavior.