Disparities

Research

Renters as passive smokers?
A recent survey revealed that 95 percent of Latinos who live in apartments prohibit smoking in their homes. However, because a vast majority of Latinos live in apartment homes, they suffer the effects of secondhand smoke from neighboring apartments at a much higher rate. Sixty-three percent of respondents reported experiencing secondhand smoke, compared to 46 percent of all California renters. The survey further revealed that Latino renters support smoke-free apartment buildings. Click here for the news article.

Menthol cigarettes may hook smokers: study
Menthol and regular cigarettes are equally harmful to one’s health, but smokers find it harder to quit if they smoke menthol cigarettes, new research revealed. Possible explanations include the more pleasant taste of menthol or menthol’s ability to cause the nicotine in the cigarette to last longer. Seventy percent of black smokers smoke menthol cigarettes, compared to 30 percent of white smokers, perhaps explaining disparities in cancer rates, heart disease, and other smoking related illness, even though they generally smoke less. Click here for more information.

Peer and parental influences on longitudinal trajectories of smoking among African Americans and Puerto Ricans
The journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research identifies distinct trajectories of smoking behavior from adolescence to young adulthood among African American and Puerto Rican adolescents/young adults in an article published in October 2006. View the abstract by clicking here.

‘Iron chain’ links smoking and poverty
The British campaigning group Action on Smoking and Health launched a new website that includes interactive maps that demonstrate the correlation between poverty and cigarette consumption. One major finding was that 48 percent of men in the poorest social class did not live to the age of 70, compared with 22 percent of men in the richest social class. The group estimates that half of the difference was attributable to smoking. For more information, click here. The map can be found here.

Daughters of smokers pay heavily for their mothers’ habit
New research by Australian scientists reveals that daughters of women who smoked during their pregnancy are more likely to have menstrual problems that affect their fertility. In addition, these women are almost six kilograms heavier than average and have disproportionately large waists for their hip measurement. These effects were apparent even if the daughter did not smoke. To read the press release, click here.

Persistent tobacco use during pregnancy and the likelihood of psychiatric disorders
An article published in the October 2006 issue of the American Journal of Public Health examines the association between psychiatric disorders and tobacco use during pregnancy. Click here to view the abstract.

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