Disparities

Research

Tobacco use among racial and ethnic population subgroups of adolescents in the U.S.
A study published in the April issue of Preventing Chronic Disease evaluates cigarette smoking among U.S. youths by racial and ethnic subgroups. The study used a nationally representative sample of youths aged 12 to 17 years who participated in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 1999, 2000, or 2001. Outcomes measured include prevalence of cigarette smoking, mean age of smoking initiation, and susceptibility to start smoking. The researchers found that the prevalence of cigarette smoking among youths varies widely by racial and ethnic subgroup. They conclude that there is a need for sustained, culturally appropriate interventions to prevent and control cigarette smoking among youths, particularly within racial and ethnic subgroups with a high prevalence of cigarette smoking. Click here to view the article

Smoking causes disproportionate number of lung cancer deaths in Asian American men
According to a study by the University of California Davis Cancer Center, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese American males living in California die of cancer at three times the rate of South Asian females in California, whose cancer mortality rate is one of the lowest in the world. Such disparities between genders and Asian and Pacific Islander ethnic groups can be explained almost entirely by differential exposure to tobacco smoke. Click here for more information on the study.

Correlates of household smoking policies among Chinese Americans
An article in the February 2006 issue of Nicotine and Tobacco Research examines the prevalence of smoke-free home rules among Chinese Americans living in New York City. Current smoking status was the strongest predictor of less restrictive household smoking policies. Knowledge of the dangers of ETS, support of smoke-free air legislation, years in the United States, gender, income, and marital status also were associated with household smoking bans. Click here to view the abstract.

Smoking and alcoholism co-mordbidity among Plains American Indians
An article in the March issue of Alcoholics: Clinical and Experimental Research examines the high rate of co-occurrence of alcoholism and smoking among American Indians specifically. The study cites heritability between smoking and alcoholism as an indicator that some genes predispose individuals to both smoking and drinking. For more information, click here.

HIV infection and tobacco smoking behavior
A study in the April issue of the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease found that HIV-infected patients are highly exposed to tobacco smoking, which is implicated in multiple conditions occurring during the course of HIV infection. The authors call for adapted cessation programs for this population. Click here for more information on the study.

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ANR developes web page for women
The Americans for Non-Smokers’ Rights website now features a “Women” page containing information and resources on how tobacco affects the female population. Click here to access the page.

First-of-its-kind handbook covers broad range of public health issues facing sexual minorities
The Handbook of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health: A Practitioner's Guide to Service covers a wide range of issues that practitioners who serve LGBT communities often encounter, including the inequities in health care services available to sexual minorities; the overt prejudice they often face as well as discrimination, disdain, or outright denial of services; the assumption by health professionals of risk factors based on sexual or gender orientation rather than individual behaviors and health history; the higher incidence of reproductive cancers; the confidentiality of medical records; and employment issues. For additional information click here.

Univision produces television and website aimed at Hispanic youth
Univision, the largest Spanish television network, recently produced a television and website article based on the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids report "A Broken Promise to Our Children: The 1998 Tobacco Settlement Seven Years Later.” The story includes state-specific information regarding states with large Latino communities. Tobacco control advocates working in or with Hispanic communities should find the Univision helpful in reaching out to youth in Hispanic communities. For more information, click here. (Spanish language)

Latin American Cancer Research Coalition holding conference on social marketing and accepting applications for internships
The Latin American Cancer Research Coalition (LACRC) is sponsoring the week-long "Social Marketing for the Latino Community" course, which will be offered by the Georgetown University School of Business. Professor Alan Andreasen, a leading social marketing practitioner and scholar will teach the course. Additionally, there will be guest speakers from among Washington's leading social marketing programs to present during classes. The goal of this program is to build health promotion training opportunities for minority researchers and students in Latino health. Minority researchers and students are strongly encouraged to apply for scholarships. In addition to the course, The Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University is offering a six-week summer paid internship program for undergraduate and graduate students. This is an excellent opportunity for bilingual (English/Spanish) students to gain hands-on experience implementing cancer prevention research for the Latino community. For more information, click here.

CDC examines health measures in U.S. immigrants
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has examined the health status of immigrants in the United States, who are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. The resulting report presents demographic information and estimates of selected measures, such as physical health status and limitations (including smoking), health care access and utilization, and mental health status among the civilian non-institutionalized population of U.S. and foreign-born adults aged 18 years and over in four race-ethnicity groups in the United States. Click here to view the report.

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