Tobacco-Free Initiative - Baseline Analysis Results, September 2015
The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade (FDOH-MD) Multi-Unit Housing Resident Survey contains 18 questions, utilizing a Likert scale for responses, and multiple choice answers. On six different dates in July, August, and September 2015, FDOH-MD staff collected 269 surveys from the following public housing multi-unit properties: Culmer Place, Arthur Mays Village, Ward Towers, Anne Coleman, Homestead Gardens, Jack Orr Plaza, Edison Courts, Stirrup Plaza, and Joe Moretti. The following information depicts the baseline analysis conducted by the Health Council of South Florida (HCSF) evaluation team prior to the “House Rules” or protection strategies being implemented in these properties conducive to a tobacco-free environment.
Demographics
The majority of respondents indicated Spanish and English as their primary language (50.6%, and 47.2%, respectively); compared to 1.5% of respondents who indicated Creole as their principal language. Less than 1.0% of residents (0.7%) did not answer this question. Additionally, 85.6% of Hispanic respondents were White, compared to 7.2% who indicated “Black” as their racial identity, and 4.3% who identified with “Other” racial category. By comparison, 1.6% of non-Hispanic respondents were White, and 96.8% indicated “Black” as their racial identity (Table 1).
With respect to education level attained by survey participants, 23.7% of Hispanic respondents were high school graduates; compared to 44.4% of non-Hispanic participants. Conversely, 19.4% of Hispanic respondents graduated from college; compared to 6.5% of non-Hispanic respondents (Table 2).
Tobacco Consumption
When participants were asked whether they currently smoke cigarettes or other tobacco products, 81.4% indicated “Not at All”; followed by 7.8% respondents who smoke every day, 6.3% “Some Days (or Socially)”, and 1.9% who were not sure (Chart 1).
Further analysis of tobacco consumption based on ethnic identity revealed that prevalence of smoking is greater among non-Hispanic than Hispanic residents who participated in the survey. For instance, 20.2% of non-Hispanic residents who participated in the survey smoke every day or some days; compared to 9.4% of Hispanic residents (Table 3); while 86.3% of Hispanic residents indicated that they do not smoke, compared to 76.0% of non-Hispanic residents.
Tobacco Consumption inside Resident’s Home
In terms of residents’ responses to rules about smoking residents their home, the majority of residents (79.6%) do not allow smoking anywhere inside their home, followed by those who allow smoking in some places or at some times (8.9%), and residents who allow smoking anywhere inside the home (3.0%).
The cross-tabulation analysis of residents’ attitude towards the support of a no-smoking protection strategy and their rules about smoking inside the home, revealed the following: 84.7% of residents who support this strategy do not allow smoking anywhere inside their home; compared to 9.5% of residents who allow smoking anywhere inside their home or in some places at certain times. By comparison, 76.4% of residents who do not support this strategy do not allow smoking anywhere inside the home; compared to 15.2% who allow smoking, at some level, inside the home (Table 4).
Second-hand smoke
Overall, the majority of residents (62.1%) who participated in the survey are inconvenienced/bothered, at some level (“A Lot” or “A Little”), by indoor tobacco smoke or tobacco odor; compared to residents who are not bothered at all (27.5%). Please refer to Chart 3.
Furthermore, residents’ responses to the level of inconvenience they experience by indoor tobacco smoke or odor was stratified by ethnic identity (Table 5); and the results revealed that Hispanic residents are more likely to be inconvenienced by tobacco smoke or odor than non-Hispanic residents (68.3% and 54.8%. respectively); and 40.3% of non-Hispanic residents are not bothered by tobacco smoke, compared to 17.3% of Hispanic residents.
The HCSF team also found that there is a statistically significant association (p < 0.05) between ethnicity and level of inconvenience experienced by residents due to tobacco smoke; which suggests that residents’ responses this question are associated to or dependent on ethnic identity.