Purpose This study aims to determine the prevalence of selected health behaviors (smoking, diet, exercise and early cancer detection) and outcomes (obesity, cardiovascular fitness, type II diabetes mellitus and cancer) among Arab immigrants living in Colorado and evaluate the relationships between acculturation and health behaviors from a socio-ecological perspective. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a cross-sectional survey of 100 adult Arab immigrants living in Colorado. Findings The study showed that Arab immigrants in Colorado engage in healthy behaviors such as eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables (34 per cent), exercising (44 per cent) and seeking early cancer screening (35 per cent among women and 42 per cent among men). In comparison to the general population in Colorado, the study results showed that Arab immigrants were more likely to engage in moderate or vigorous exercise (p < 0.001, OR = 1.84) and consume the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables (p = 0.05, OR = 1.56). The study revealed that culture plays an important role in shaping and affecting Arab immigrant health behaviors. Those who were more acculturated were more likely to be physically active and eat healthy. Research/limitations/implications The prevalence of overweight in the current sample was similar to the rate of overweight in other studies of Arab immigrants. This study’s findings about overweight signal a need for culturally sensitive health promotion interventions for Arab immigrants. The study limitations included the use of self-reported measures in the survey, the use of cross-sectional design and the use of a probability sample. Originality/value Understanding culturally relevant predictors of certain health behaviors, such as exercise and diet, can help health providers design health promotion interventions that focus on the individual and the environment to meet the health needs of Arab immigrants.

Aims: Data from The Attitudes and Behaviors Survey (TABS) conducted in 2015 were used to investigate the prevalence of different forms of tobacco use and marijuana use among adults in Colorado. Methods: A secondary analysis of TABS on health data was conducted. A representative sample of 8616 adults 18 years and older participated in the survey, with sample weights used to adjust for oversampling. Results: Lifetime prevalence of cigarette-only use was 25.8%, compared with 10.6% for hookah use, 7.0% for both hookah and cigarettes, 12.6% for anything except cigarettes, and 43.0% for marijuana. The typical hookah user was a single/living alone (15.9%), English-speaking (11.6%), male (16.7%), age < 30 years (24.2%), with some college education (13.0%), and income less than 35 000 per year (14.3%). Hookah users, whether or not they also used cigarettes, were similar to those who used any other noncigarette tobacco products. The typical marijuana user was a single/living alone (50.2%), white (46.0%), English-speaking (46.7%), male (48.5%), age < 30 years (50.1%), with a graduate degree (40.8%) and salary of at least 50 000 per year (43.4%). Implications: In Colorado, in 2015, cigarette use was still highest among all forms of tobacco, but the use of other tobacco products such as vaping and hookah is on the rise, especially among young adults. Marijuana and hookah users were demographically similar to each other, and different from the typical cigarette user. These results indicate the need for further study of alternative tobacco product use, especially among young adults.

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