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This project evaluates the role of culture elements in enhancing resources for youth to make decisions regarding their health. Based on a four-phase process of planning, translation, adaptation, and evaluation, we adapted the Web-based smoking prevention and cessation resource Smoking Zine from English to two written forms of Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese in 2003. We are now developing versions of the Smoking Zine into the languages and cultures of Israel (Hebrew), Jordan (Arabic), the Palestinian territories (Arabic), and Iran (Farsi). The translation process will be conducted in the Middle East by local translators who understand the subtle features of the local culture and are familiar with popular habits and trends that relate to smoking in those regions. An environmental scan will be carried out in those regions to capture their cultural specificities, economic references, and youth lexicon for incorporation into the adaptation process. In addition to cigarette smoking, the project will examine water pipe smoking as it is getting popular among youth in the Middle East. At a later stage, we will be looking at expanding the scope of implementation of the Smoking Zine to other regions that share –in close proximity- similar culture and languages; i.e. Other Arab countries (Arabic) and other south Asian countries and communities (Farsi). Adapting the Smoking Zine for the global youth audience not only allows TeenNet to expand the coverage of its prevention and cessation education tools but also provides valuable learning on the process of developing cross-cultural resources for tobacco control.

Funder: Ministry of Health and Long Term Care

More information:
Malcolm Koo, MSc, PhD,
416.978.6206