Korean Youth Smoking Cessation Study

Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. In Los Angeles, rates of morbidities due to cigarette smoking follow prevalence. While the rate of cigarette smoking in Los Angeles County among youth is at historic lows, prevalence is not uniform: Cigarette smoking is pervasive among residents who have significant economic disparities. Prevalence is also among the highest in the world for Korean school-aged youth and substantially higher numbers of Korean American youth smoke cigarettes. To date, smoking prevention efforts in Korea have had mixed results as they are not interesting to youth and are not interactive. This project will assess an interactive, culturally adapted, tailored smoking cessation intervention delivered through the internet and cell phone. Using technology, the investigators seek to increase the reach and access of our intervention and facilitate cessation without in-person sessions, a factor that limits smoking cessation interventions for youth. Youth are energetic users of electronic media, lending support to the delivery of treatment through technology. The investigators predict that subjects assigned to the intervention will demonstrate statistically higher rates of smoking abstinence and longer retention in the cessation program compared to those assigned to the standard of care condition. Subjects reporting higher levels of smoking exposure, lower motivation, poor mental health, disadvantaged neighborhoods, and lower levels of acculturation to American culture will also have lower quit rates at each follow-up visit.