Developing and Pilot Testing an Intervention to Reduce Household Shisha Smoke Exposure Within Somali Homes

Previous qualitative research among Somali American adults in Minnesota have identified high levels of hookah or shisha (hereafter shisha) use in Somali households. Household shisha use exposes all family members, including children, to secondhand smoke (SHS) that contains toxins that can cause many different acute and chronic disease, including increased levels of several cancers such as lung, bladder, and oral cancers. Despite the high levels of shisha use, gaps in the knowledge of the risks of shisha use and how to mitigate the potential harmful health consequences of shisha use exist among Somali Americans. This study aims to pilot test the feasibility of a newly developed CHW-delivered intervention to reduce home shisha SHS exposure with n=15 Somali families. Pre-/post-measurements of family members' (1 adult and 1 child) urine or salivary cotinine levels will be obtained along with a brief pre-/post-survey to characterize household tobacco use and the presence of home smoke-free rules.