Formerly Minnesota International Health Volunteers

Improving the health of women, children and their communities around the world.

Evaluating attitudes and behaviors surrounding tobacco use is crucial to developing effective, targeted messages about prevention and cessation. This research is particularly important when assessing the use of tobacco among specific communities and demographic populations. In this regard, WellShare lends its community-based research expertise to the equation—conducting studies that reveal key data about tobacco use knowledge, attitudes, and practices among Somali populations in Minnesota and beyond.

In Minnesota, WellShare is currently implementing a research investigation called “Understanding Tobacco Use and Cessation about Somalis in Minnesota.” The three-year project is designed to (1) estimate the prevalence of tobacco use among Somali adults and youth in Minnesota; (2) identify appropriate and potentially effective tobacco cessation programs in the Somali population, and (3) identify the influence and extent of tobacco industry tactics on Somalis’ use of tobacco. Through this project, the WellShare tobacco research team has conducted knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) surveys among hundreds of Somali adults and youth in Minnesota and conducted other studies aimed at understanding the effect of tobacco access and advertising in the Somali community.  Using data from focus groups and interviews , WellShare researchers published key results about Somali tobacco knowledge and practices. Our next step is to apply these research results to develop effective, sustainable tobacco use prevention and cessation programs within the Somali community.

We are helping to enact a smoke-free policy in the Riverside Plaza.