Tobacco

American Indian Community Engagement in the Vaping Endgame

The University of Southern California (USC) and Resources for Indian Student Education, Inc. (RISE) are collaborating with Modoc Joint Unified School District in Modoc County to pilot a vaping intervention and education project.

Native Health: Cannabis and Nicotine graphic

Understanding Tobacco and Cannabis Co-Use in Young Adult Priority Populations in California

USC and UCSF are working in collaboration to understand how the evolving commercial tobacco and cannabis markets and new tobacco endgame policies will impact health equity.

Project SUN

This project focused on the development, implementation, and evaluation of the adapted version of Project EX, an evidence-based intervention for teen smoking cessation.

Understanding the Tobacco Retail Environment on Tribal Lands in California

In California, there are many unique and diverse Tribal communities, and this project aimed to understand the retail environment by reaching retailers who sold commercially available tobacco products (i.e., cigarettes, chew/dip, cigars, electronic cigarettes/vapes) on or nearby Tribal lands (within a one-mile radius).

California American Indian Community Readiness Project: Commercial Tobacco Control Policies

The goal of the Statewide American Indian Community Readiness Project was to conduct an assessment of Tribal readiness to work on key commercial tobacco-related policy and systems changes with 12 regionally diverse Tribal communities from Southern, Central, and Northern California.

American Indian Youth: PSA, Photovoice & Digital Storytelling

A pilot study to provide one of the first evaluated American Indian youth driven media campaigns in California focused on Digital Storytelling, Photovoice, and Public Service Announcements (PSAs).

Publications in this Area

Ramos, G.G., Sussman, S., Moerner, L., Unger, J.B, & Soto, C. (2022). Project SUN: A pilot of a culturally adapted smoking cessation curriculum for American Indian youth. Journal of Drug Education: Substance Abuse Research and Prevention, 51(1-2), 10-31. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472379221111542
Soto, C, Ramos, G, Martinez, D, Moerner, L, Salinas, D, Battle, R, Yerger, V. A Qualitative Assessment of the Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Commercial Tobacco Policies and Education among Tribal Communities in California. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. 2022: 1-9

Nez Henderson, P, Lee, JP, Soto, C, O′ Leary, R, Rutan, E, D′ Silva, J, Waa, A, Henderson, ZP, Nez, SS, Maddox, R. Decolonization of tobacco in Indigenous communities of turtle island (North America). Nicotine and Tobacco Research. 2022: 24(2):289-91.

Maddox, R, Bovill, M, Waa, A, Drummond, A, Hardy, B, Soto, C, Tautolo, E, Colonna, E, Gifford, H, Clark, H, Lee, JP, Henderson, PN, Upton, P, Bradbrook, S, Wells, S, Martinez, S, Calma, T,Clearing the Air: Conflicts of Interest and the Tobacco Industry’s Impact on Indigenous Peoples, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2021; ntab267

Laux FL, Henderson PN, Soto C, Moor G, Leischow SJ. Commercial Tobacco Retailing in Tribal Jurisdictions: A Field Study. American Journal of Health Behavior. 2021 Mar 1;45(2):226-38. PMID: 33888184

Begay C, Soto C, Baezconde-Garbanati L, Barahona R, Rodriguez YL, Unger JB, Smiley SL. Cigarette and E-Cigarette Retail Marketing on and Near California Tribal Lands. Health Promotion Practice. 2020 Jan: 21(1):18-26. PMID: 31908191

Unger, JB, Sussman, S, Begay, C, Moerner, L, and Soto, C. Spirituality, Ethnic Identity, and Substance Use among American Indian/Alaska Native Adolescents in California. Substance Use & Misuse. 2020: 55 (7): 1194-1198. PMID: 31996077

Smiley, SL, Soto, C, Cruz, TB, Kintz, N., Rodriguez, YL, Sussman, S, Baezconde-Garbanati, L. Point-of-Sale Marketing of Little Cigars and Cigarillos on and Near California Tribal Lands. Tobacco Control. 2020 Jan: 29(1): 122-124. PMID: 30385648

Escobedo P, Garcia R, Soto C, Rodriguez Y, Barahona R, Baezconde-Garbanati L. Comparison of e-cigarette marketing and availability in tobacco retail outlets among diverse low-income communities in California. Tobacco control. 2020 Jul 1;29(4):469-71. PMID: 31324661

Carroll, DM, Soto, C, Baezconde-Garbanati, L, Huang, LL. Tobacco Industry Marketing Exposure and Commercial Tobacco Product Use Disparities among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Substance Use Misuse. 2019: 23(1):1-10. PMID: 31544562

Cruz, TB, Rose, SW, Lienemann, BA, Bryon, MJ, Meissner, HI, Baezconde-Garbanati, L, Huang, LL, Carroll, DM, Soto, C, Unger, J. Pro-Tobacco Marketing and Anti-Tobacco Campaigns Aimed At Vulnerable Populations: A Review of the Literature. Tobacco Induced Diseases. 2019: 17(68): 20-37. PMID: 31582956

Delgado Rendon, A., Cruz, T.B., Baezconde-Garbanati, L., Soto, C. and Unger, J.B. Managers’ Practices of Tobacco and Marijuana Smoking Policies in Hispanic-Occupied Multiunit Housing. Health Equity. 2019: 3(1), 304-311. PMID: 31289789

Soto, C, Unger, JB, Sussman, S, & Zeledon, I. International Approaches to Tobacco Use Cessation Programming and Prevention Interventions among Indigenous Adolescents and Young Adults. Current Addiction Reports. 2018: 5(1): 35-4.

Soto C, Baezconde-Garbanati L, Unger JB, Schwartz S. Stressful Live Events, Ethnic Identity, Historical Trauma, and Participation in Cultural Events: Associations with Smoking Behaviors among American Indian Adolescents in California. Addictive Behaviors. 2015: 50: 64-69 PMID: 26103424

Lew R, Martinez J, Soto C, Baezconde-Garbanati L. Training Leaders from Priority Populations to Implement Social Norm Changes in Tobacco Control: Lessons from the LAAMPP Institute. Health Promotion Practice. 2011: 12 (2):195-198. PMID: 22068582

Unger JB, Soto C, and Thomas N. Translations of Health Programs for American Indians in the United States. Evaluation and the Health Professions. 2008: 31(2): 124-144. PMID: 18319377

Unger JB, Toya-Soto C, and Baezconde-Garbanati L. Perceptions of Ceremonial and Non- Ceremonial Uses of Tobacco by American Indian Adolescents in California. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2006: 38(4): 443-449. PMID: 16549307

Unger JB, Baezconde-Garbanati L, Soto C. Family and peer related and protective factors for tobacco use among American Indian adolescents in California. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse. 2004: 3(4): 1-15.

Full List of Publications