Estimates of smoking and related behaviour in an immigrant Lebanese community: does survey method matter?

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of smoking, stage-of-change and GP advice to quit in the Sydney Lebanese community and whether these findings varied by survey method. Method: Three methods - telephone interviews using sampling from the electronic White Pages, personal interviews of a household member selected using cluster sampling and a mailed survey using an electoral roll sample - were used in separate surveys of persons born in Lebanon living in three postcode areas of Sydney in 1997. Results: Smoking prevalence was consistent across the three methods, with male smoking averaging 49% and female smoking averaging 29%. About two-thirds of smoking respondents across each of the survey methods had no plans for quitting. Conclusions: As smoking prevalence did not vary across the three sampling and survey methods used here, the simplest and most inexpensive method (the electronic White Pages and telephone surveying of identifiable ethnic surnames) should be preferred. Implications: Smoking prevalence in the Sydney Lebanese community is determined consistently using a variety of survey methods.