Commit to Quit: Essential Elements of a Novel Tobacco Intervention for Arab American Women

Abstract

Despite widespread commercial tobacco use among women globally, including in the USA, there is an urgent need for interventions specifically for women. In particular, there is a need for interventions that respond to the specific contexts of tobacco-related harms for women who are most impacted by tobacco use and exposure. Arab American women are at risk of exposure to these harms due to the highly prevalent smoking of tobacco by themselves and others in their households. For Arab women, smoking tobacco in waterpipes (shisha) is most common, and secondhand smoke is common as well. We developed a novel tobacco intervention for Arab American women in the San Francisco Bay Area (2021–2024). The program engaged a grassroots group of Arab American women in web-based meetings to learn from experts about tobacco harms, including waterpipe toxicity and secondhand smoke risks, and ways to quit and cut back, and to reduce and prevent harms. We qualitatively assessed the implementation of this project. Data sources included focus groups, detailed meeting notes, and records from a private web-based chat. We conducted thematic content analysis within and across data sources in close collaboration with our Community Advisory Board. Our findings highlighted the critical importance of the intervention’s focus on popular education and its alignment with the cultural and gender-specific needs of Arab American women. Our methods may be useful in addressing tobacco harms among Arab and immigrant communities.