Ahead of the General Election on November 3rd, 2026, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) urges policymakers to address public health disparities affecting their minority constituents, such as tobacco control and prevention.
Over the past six months, the AJSOCAL Health Access Program (HAP) has conducted tobacco control policy research among Vietnamese American communities in Orange County (OC). Building on survey findings and additional research, AJSOCAL HAP Intern Dawn Tran identified political participation as a social determinant of health, with low political participation being correlated with high tobacco use in Vietnamese American communities. Her policy brief, “Tobacco Inequities, Political Remedies,” advances methods for increasing Vietnamese Americans’ political participation as a tactic for improving tobacco-related health outcomes.
Across the OC cities of Garden Grove, Cypress, and Westminster, HAP surveyed 48 community members about their opinions on tobacco use and tobacco control policies. The survey found high interest and strong support for tobacco control policy among the 21 Vietnamese American participants.
- An average of 73.47% of Vietnamese American participants answered “Agree/Support” to all the tobacco control issues presented.
- 76.19% of Vietnamese American participants agreed that their “city council (or board of supervisors) should take action on tobacco.”
- 71.43% of Vietnamese American participants would be more likely to vote for a policymaker that “advocates for phasing out the sale of tobacco products.”
However, existing research indicates that Vietnamese Americans are likely to face barriers in enacting tobacco control policy due to a lack of political participation. Therefore, OC policymakers need to be aware of methods for increasing Vietnamese American political participation and addressing community concerns in tobacco control policy.
Read the full policy brief, “Tobacco Inequities, Political Remedies: How Orange County Policymakers Can Increase Vietnamese American Participation in Tobacco Control,” here.
