Disparities

Research

Tobacco control policies are egalitarian: A vulnerabilities perspective on clean indoor air laws, cigarette prices, and tobacco use disparities
A recent study found that tobacco control policies decrease smoking rates among people of all socioeconomic levels, races, and ethnicities. Researchers used nationally-representative data from the US Census Bureau's Tobacco Use Supplement of the Current Population Survey to model the effects of implementing smoke-free laws and increasing state taxes on the population’s smoking status and cigarette consumption. Comprehensive smoke-free laws and higher cigarette prices were independently associated with both lower smoking rates and reduced cigarette consumption. These effects were consistent among all socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic groups. The researchers note that because these policy changes benefited all groups equally, additional interventions are needed to mitigate tobacco-related health disparities. This research was published in March 2009 in the journal Social Science and Medicine. Click here to read an abstract of the study.

Where Asian-Americans live might affect whether they smoke
Researchers from Northwestern University evaluated data from 3,875 Asian-Americans who participated in the 2003 California Health Interview Survey to see if neighborhood context affected smoking prevalence among this population. The researchers looked at three aspects of the neighborhoods: ethnic enclaves, socioeconomic status, and perceived social cohesion. The study found that socioeconomic status did not affect smoking patterns. However, Asian-American men in neighborhoods with a high level of perceived social cohesiveness were less likely to smoke, while Asian-American women who resided in ethnic enclaves, defined as neighborhoods inhabited by at least 50% Asian-Americans, were less likely to smoke. The study is published in the May 2009 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Click here to read more. Click here to read an abstract of the study.

Smoke-free policy in acute mental health wards: avoiding the pitfalls
Because of the high prevalence of smoking among psychiatric patients, attempts to implement smoke-free policies in inpatient mental health settings have often been met with resistance. Researchers conducted a study to gain insight on the best approaches to implementation of smoke-free policies in this setting. Medical and nonmedical staff were interviewed from two inpatient facilities that implemented building and outdoor smoke-free policies. Staff revealed that the policy was significantly weakened because patients were often permitted to smoke in outdoor areas or to smoke covertly in indoor areas. The study identified needs for ongoing staff training as well as comprehensive smoking cessation and abstinence support for inpatients. Click here to read the abstract of the study, which was published in General Hospital Psychiatry.

Poor kids exposed to more secondhand smoke: Wealthier households are less apt to include adult smokers, study finds
A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics found that children living below the federal poverty level are exposed to more secondhand smoke than children in families well over the poverty level. The study analyzed data gathered from over 46,000 children whose families participated in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2000-2004. Compared to children in wealthier homes, poor children had increased exposure to secondhand smoke, partly because they were more likely to live with multiple adult smokers. Overall, a little more than a third of the children in the study lived with at least one adult smoker. Almost 49% of poor children lived with smokers, compared to only 21% of wealthy children. Additionally, children had higher secondhand smoke exposure if they did not live with either of their parents. Click here to read more. Click here to access the full study.

top

Reports

Utah American Indians battle high rates of chronic illness- tobacco use complicates health problems (UT)
The Utah Department of Health released a report that highlights the health disparities that exist among American Indians in Utah. The prevalence of smoking among American Indians is 21.1%, which is almost double the overall state smoking prevalence of 11.1%. Asthma was also more common among American Indians at 11.5%, compared to the state prevalence of 7.9%. American Indians were more likely to lack health insurance coverage, lack adequate prenatal care, and have lower rates of physical activity than the general population. The report included multiple local resources available to address many of the reported disparities.  Click here to read more. Click here to read the full report.

Tobacco-related disparities update (WA)
Washington State has updated its five-year statewide strategic plan for eliminating tobacco-related health disparities. The overall adult smoking rate has dropped by 25% since the state’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program began in 2000, but smoking remains more common among racial/ethnic and sexual minorities, as well as individuals with less income and education. The strategic plan recognizes the importance of eliminating these disparities in order to decrease the overall prevalence of tobacco use in the state. The plan identifies priority populations with high rates of tobacco use, desired health-related outcomes, and key strategies to achieve these outcomes. Click here to visit the state’s Tobacco-Related Health Disparities webpage, or click here to download the strategic plan.

Smokin' soldiers: A $3.7-million video game aims to curb tobacco use in the military
The U.S. Department of Defense issued a grant to the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas to develop a  video game that will reduce smoking rates among active-duty military personnel. The game will be based on a similar video game called “Escape with Your Life” that was highly successful in encouraging teenage smokers to quit smoking during a pilot study, and can be tailored by age, race/ethnicity, gender, and tobacco use. The game is being adapted for military personnel because the prevalence of tobacco use in the military is double that of the civilian population, and because smoking presents special hazards to military personnel, such as decreased night vision, slower injury recovery, and poorer endurance. The researchers hope to begin pilot testing with the military by 2011, and to have a large-scale release by 2013. Click here to read the full article in Scientific American.

top

Back to Table of Contents