Asian Americans
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Know the Facts
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 11 non-Hispanic, Asian American adults smokes cigarettes (9.0%).
- Among Asian American adults, cigarette smoking is more common in men than women.
- About 1 in every 7 Asian American men smokes cigarettes (14.0%).
- Nearly 1 in every 20 Asian American women smokes cigarettes (4.6%).
*Source for cigarette smoking prevalence: Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults—United States, 2016. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2018.
For More Information
- Detailed Statistics Learn about smoking among specific populations and the current rates of cigarette smoking in the United States.
Real Stories: People Featured in Tips®
Learn more about all Tips participants in our Real Stories section.
Quitting Help
To get started right now, see our How to Quit Smoking area featuring a Quit Guide website and an additional Quitting Resources page.
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.
Quitting Resources
Here are a few tips from our 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.
Here are a few quitting resources in language.
What are your reasons to quit?
Do you have a quit plan?
How to manage your cravings.
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!”
- Page last reviewed: March 23, 2018
- Page last updated: April 23, 2018
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