Asian Americans

If you are Asian American, you are part of a fast-growing group with several different languages, dialects, and cultures.

Smoking raises your risk for cancer, heart disease, and stroke—which already are leading causes of death for Asian Americans.

Overall, about 1 in every 14 non-Hispanic, Asian American adults smokes cigarettes (7.0%).

Among Asian American adults, cigarette smoking is more common in men than women. About 1 in every 8 Asian American men smokes cigarettes (12.0%).

About 1 in every 40 Asian American women smokes cigarettes (2.6%).

*Source for cigarette smoking prevalence: Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults—United States, 2005–2015. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2016.

Rico, age 48, started smoking at age 14. He was diagnosed with cancer at age 45 and was determined to quit so that he could enjoy a healthy life with his family. Since quitting smoking for good, Rico is a cancer survivor who feels passionate about sharing his story to help other smokers quit. Rico feels blessed to be alive to spend time with his family and watch his children finish college. Rico believes that it’s never too late to quit smoking.

“As a former smoker, I know how hard it is to quit. Addiction is a very difficult battle to win, but it can be done!”
 

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You can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669). Quitline coaches can answer questions, help you develop a quit plan, and provide support.

Free help is also available through the Asian Smokers’ Quitline (ASQ) in the following languages:

Mandarin and Cantonese: 1-800-838-8917
Korean: 1-800-556-5564
Vietnamese: 1-800-778-8440

The mission of ASQ is to provide free, accessible, evidence-based smoking cessation services in Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and Vietnamese to Asian communities in the U.S.

Quit-smoking treatments may be free or reduced in price through insurance, health plans, or clinics. State Medicaid programs cover quit-smoking treatments. While the coverage varies by state, all states cover some treatments for at least some Medicaid enrollees.

Medicare currently covers two quit attempts per year and up to four face-to-face counseling sessions per attempt.

There are great resources in Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese on the CDC webpage. Check them out here.

Here are a few tips from the CDC online Quit Guide—choose what works best for you. You can quit for good, even if you’ve tried before. In fact, most smokers try to quit many times before they succeed.

All information on this page is provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.