Tobacco-Related Disparities in Specific Populations

Research

Cigarette smoking and advice to quit in a national sample of homeless adults
A new study shows that homeless people are more likely to smoke and less likely to quit than the general population, even though 54% of homeless smokers reported being advised by a healthcare provider to quit in the past year. Data from 966 participants in the 2003 Health Care for the Homeless User Survey indicated that 73% of respondents currently smoked, and the lifetime quit rate among all smokers was 9%. Those who had an out-of-home placement during childhood, had been victimized while homeless, or were employed in the past year were between 2.4 and 2.8 times more likely to smoke than those that did not report these circumstances. Illicit drug use and alcohol abuse were also strongly associated with smoking; those using drugs were 7.21 times more likely and those with alcohol use problems were 7.42 times more likely to smoke. The high prevalence of smoking and low rate of cessation indicate that interventions designed to encourage homeless smokers to quit need to account for and address these factors. Click here to access the abstract of this study, which was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Click here to listen to a podcast interview with Dr. Travis Baggett, lead author of this paper.

Tobacco use prevalence and factors associated with tobacco use in new U.S. Army personnel
A new study published in the Journal of Addictive Diseases indicates that while tobacco use is declining among Army recruits, it is still an issue, especially among younger Caucasians. Military students entering Advanced Individual Training at the U.S. Army Ordnance School from 2000-2006 completed a questionnaire to provide information on their tobacco use in order to investigate the prevalence of tobacco use and factors associated with it. The results show that among those entering the military, the prevalence of smokeless tobacco use decreased over time for women, and the number of cigarettes per day decreased for men. Being younger, Caucasian, and using smokeless tobacco were factors associated with cigarette use for both sexes. The researchers suggest that this information can be used to develop new strategies to reduce tobacco use in the military. Click here to read the study abstract.

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Reports

Coming out about smoking: Tobacco use in the LGBTQ young adult community
The National Youth Advocacy Coalition (NYAC) has released a new report focused on tobacco use among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and intersex (LGBTQ) young adults aged 18-24. Surveys were distributed to LGBTQ youth through community organizations, and focus groups were conducted to gather data related to characteristics of smokers, smoking related behaviors, attitudes about tobacco, and barriers and facilitators to smoking cessation. Focus group discussions indicated that sexual minority youth smoke due to stressors such as discrimination and lack of family acceptance and that many see smoking as an important social activity. The survey results showed that sexual minority youth tend to be light smokers, with 77% reporting smoking fewer than 10 cigarettes per day; are most likely to smoke when drinking (82%), stressed (86%), or at a club (82%); and prefer to date nonsmokers (54%). The report also includes recommendations based on these findings for successful prevention and cessation interventions targeting LGBTQ young adults. Click here to read more, or download the full report.

New resources on tobacco and low SES populations (WA)
The Washington State Tobacco Prevention and Control Program recently released two documents that describe the high prevalence of tobacco use among Washington residents of low socioeconomic status and outline strategies to effectively reduce the burden of tobacco use in this population. The documents are titled Innovative Approaches to Reducing the Burden of Tobacco Use among Low SES Populations and Health Equity for All: A Leadership Summit to Reduce the Burden of Tobacco Use among Low SES Populations. The documents are available here on the Break Free Alliance website.

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