Plan helps Hmong smokers quit

Chong Cha Thao, a Hmong elder from La Crosse, is glad he quit smoking.

A native of Laos, Thao started smoking when the CIA gave him cigarettes while he was fighting with Americans during the Vietnam War. He is one of about 100 former smokers who have benefited from an innovative health promotion program offered through the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI) and the La Crosse County Health Department (LCHD).

The program, known as “HABIT,” or Hmong Against Big Industry Tobacco, provides free nicotine patches, support groups and counseling from the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line. Quit Line services are available in English, Hmong and many other languages by calling 1-877-270-STOP (7867).

“This program is very helpful for me and others,” Thao says. “I was happy that someone approached me and said, ‘There are tools to help you quit.’ I can breathe easier now that I’ve quit. I feel more energized and a bit happier.”

Thao immigrated to the United States after the end of the war to be with his family and pass on Hmong culture. Tobacco use, however, is one tradition he’d rather not pass along. For example, it’s traditional for some Hmong elders to pass out cigarettes at Hmong weddings and funerals.

“Tobacco has no significance for me and my family,” he says. “Tobacco at weddings is just a way to initiate socializing.” He understands that it’s a way to greet guests and show respect, but wonders if elders could use an alternative gift that isn’t dangerous to a person’s health.

“I don’t know why it’s tobacco that’s used and not something else,” he says.

Al Bliss, a community health educator for LCHD, is working with Kristine Hayden of UW-CTRI to encourage elders to discuss the dangers of tobacco use and brainstorm alternatives to passing out tobacco. Bliss also partners with the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, which provides interpreters who help encourage smokers in the Hmong community to take advantage of the free cessation services. It’s all made possible by a grant from the American Legacy Foundation.

Since the program’s inception in September 2002, the smoking rate among Hmong adults in the La Crosse County area has dropped from 17 percent to 9 percent. The smoking rate among Hmong teens in the La Crosse area has also decreased, from 9 percent in 2002 to 7 percent today.

David Yang, 19, and his brother, Toua Yang, 20, started smoking when they were about 11 years old. They wanted to quit but didn’t have much success until they took advantage of the HABIT program. Now both have been smoke-free for a few months.

“It was really helpful,” Toua Yang says. n