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Biomedical subjects

G Marín

Publications and source records attributed to G Marín.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Misclassification of smoking status by self-reported cigarette consumption.

To evaluate possible misclassification of smokers and nonsmokers, we compared self-reported cigarette consumption and serum cotinine levels in a sample of 743 Mexican American participants in the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). The study sample was stratified by sex and self-reported cigarettes consumed per day (0, 1 to 9, 10 to 19, and greater than or equal to 20) and selected from those with available serum. We defined biochemical smokers as persons with serum cotinine levels greater than or equal to 0.084 microM/L (14 ng/ml). Misclassification was defined as a discrepancy between self-reported smoking and the serum cotinine level used to define a biochemical smoker. Of 189 self-reported nonsmokers, 12 (6.3%) were defined as biochemical smokers and possibly misclassified by self-report. Among 124 never smokers only 5 (4%) were biochemical smokers compared with 7 of 65 (10.8%) self-reported former smokers. Only 1 of the 12 misclassified nonsmokers reported living with a current smoker. In 9 of the 12 misclassified nonsmokers, serum cotinine levels were consistent with light smoking. Among the 547 self-reported smokers, 66 (12.1%) were found to have serum cotinine levels less than or equal to 0.084 microM/L (14 ng/ml) and possibly misclassified by self-report. Of these, one person reported 20 or more cigarettes per day. We conclude that self-reported cigarette consumption may be an insufficient measure of the risks associated with tobacco use and measurement of serum cotinine may be important to assess the magnitude of misclassification of smoking status in epidemiologic studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Changes in information as a function of a culturally appropriate smoking cessation community intervention for Hispanics.

Tested a 7-month, media-based, community intervention among Hispanics in San Francisco designed to change levels of information on the damaging effects of cigarette smoking and on the availability of culturally appropriate cessation services. Three community-wide surveys of Hispanics were conducted with independent random samples, two as baselines (n = 1,660 and 2,053) and one postintervention (n = 1,965). Results showed that changes in the level of awareness of cessation services had taken place after implementation of the intervention. Furthermore, those changes took place primarily among the less acculturated Spanish-speaking Hispanics who were the target of the intervention. The changes in information reported here demonstrate that a culturally appropriate information dissemination campaign that utilizes multiple channels can produce changes in a community's level of information even when the campaign is implemented for a relatively short period.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking among Latinos in San Francisco.

We administered the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale to 547 San Francisco Latinos as part of a random digit dialing telephone survey to evaluate smoking behavior. Both men and women current smokers had the highest mean CES-D levels (9.7 and 14.3, respectively). Logistic regression analysis adjusting for gender, acculturation, education, age, and employment showed that current smokers had an odds ratio of 1.7 (95% CI = 1.3, 2.2) for significant depressive symptoms compared to former smokers (OR = 1.1;95% CI = .8, 1.6) and never smokers (OR = 1).

Acculturation↗
PubMed1990

Apparent underreporting of cigarette consumption among Mexican American smokers.

To determine the accuracy of self-report of cigarette consumption among Mexican American smokers, we compared self-reported cigarette use and serum cotinine concentrations in a sample of 547 participants in the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). We defined underreporting of cigarette use as a cotinine to cigarette-per-day ratio of greater than 0.142 microM/l which represented a substantial discrepancy between self-reported consumption and serum cotinine. Of the 98 men and 97 women who reported smoking one to nine cigarettes/day, 20.4 percent and 24.7 percent, respectively, underreported their cigarette consumption. Underreporting was less common among men and women smoking 10 to 19 cigarettes/day (8.3 percent and 10.8 percent, respectively) and 20 or more cigarettes/day (2.2 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively). Comparison of underreporters to other smokers by demographic characteristics within sex and cigarettes/day categories showed no differences. Differences in cotinine metabolism and extremely efficient smoking are alternative explanations that can not be ruled out with these data. We believe, however, that a proportion of Mexican American light smokers may underreport the quantity of cigarettes smoked per day, and may truly be moderate or heavy smokers.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Stereotypes of smokers held by Hispanic and white non-Hispanic smokers.

A group of Hispanic and White non-Hispanic smokers were asked to report the stereotypes they hold of smokers in general. All respondents tended to think that smokers were Nervous, Friendly, and Sociable; although White non-Hispanics felt more certain than Hispanics that smokers were Friendly, Aggressive, Sociable, Attractive, and Feminine. Factor analyses of the responses showed three common (across ethnicity) factors: Sociability, Self-Presentation, and Nervousness. Only the Self-Presentation factor showed statistically significant differences between the two ethnic groups. The amount of cigarettes smoked had no effect on the stereotypes but the more highly acculturated Hispanics showed stereotypes that resembled those of the White non-Hispanics.

Acculturation↗
PubMed1986

[Basic methodological considerations in conducting psychological research in Latin America].

This paper suggests that research on human behavior conducted in Latin America must be particularly careful in avoiding the false assumption that methods and constructs developed in one culture are equally valid in another. Three areas are proposed in which researchers must be particularly careful: Proper understanding of the emic/etic difference, that is properly differentiating between what is universal and applicable across cultures (etic) and what reflects the peculiarities of one cultural group. Establishment of appropriate equivalences: Conceptual (where constructs have the same meanings across cultures); linguistic (whereby words share the same connotative and denotative meanings); and, metric. Control of variables related to an individual's subjective culture that may influence response patterns and accuracy (e.g., social desirability, self-presentation needs, etc.).

Behavior↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of "Guia para Dejar de Fumar," a self-help guide in Spanish to quit smoking.

Because of the absence of culturally appropriate self-help smoking cessation materials for Latinos, a new Spanish language cessation guide, "Guia para Dejar de Fumar," was developed and evaluated. It was distributed as part of a community-wide intervention to decrease the prevalence of smoking. The "Guia" is an attractive full-color booklet written in universal Spanish that uses simple text and numerous photographs. Motivation to quit smoking is emphasized, and graphic demonstrations of the adverse health effects of smoking are included. A menu of quitting and maintenance techniques is presented. A total of 431 smokers were identified for evaluation at approximately 3, 6, and 12 months after receiving the "Guia." Self-reported quit rates declined from 21.1 percent at 2.5 months to 13.7 percent at 14 months; 8.4 percent of the sample had a validated quit status by saliva cotinine test at 1 year. Persons older than 44 years were more likely to remain nonsmokers, but sex, education, acculturation score, and cigarettes smoked per day did not predict smoking cessation. The components of the "Guia" most mentioned by those who were surveyed were the graphic photographs, the health emphasis, and the overall format. The authors concluded that the "Guia" is an appropriate self-help smoking cessation booklet for Spanish-speaking Latinos in the United States.

Adolescent↗