Description
The purpose of this study was to explore if acculturation measures are predictive of the level (e.g. regular or occasional) of waterpipe use among Arab Americans adults (18-87 years) in San Diego, California. This thesis conducted secondary analyses on 459 Arab American waterpipe smokers to discover the contingencies that explain acculturation effects on waterpipe smoking behaviors. Participants completed self-administered surveys. Predictors were chosen based on the Behavioral Ecological Model (BEM). Participant ages ranged between 18 to 87 years, with a mean of 28.44 (SD= 11.53). Findings from the logistic regression analysis revealed that regular waterpipe smoking was positively associated with age (p= .008), gender (p= .083), education (p= .010), and smoking with family (p= .015). Identification of these predictors, future research, and tailored intervention design can specifically target education and prevention of waterpipe smoking among Arab Americans.
