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Tobacco-Related Disparities in Specific Populations
Research
Smoking widespread among youth with diabetes, raising heart disease risk
Research published in The Journal of Pediatrics has found high rates of smoking among youth and young adults with diabetes, increasing their already elevated risk for heart disease. Investigators used data from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study to examine tobacco use and heart disease risk factors (waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, physical activity, and lipid profile) among 3,466 children and young adults aged 10 to 22. They found that the prevalence of tobacco use increased with age, and that the smoking prevalence was 34.0% among youth over age 20 with type 1 diabetes, and 40.3 among those with type 2 diabetes. Youth who were past and current smokers were more likely to have high triglyceride levels, high LDL cholesterol levels, low HDL cholesterol levels and engage in less physical activity than nonsmokers. Despite this, fewer than half of participants aged 10-14 reported being advised by a healthcare provider not to smoke or to quit smoking. This study highlights the need to address tobacco prevention and cessation among young people with diabetes in order to prevent negative health outcomes such as heart disease. Click here to read more, or click here to read the study abstract.
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Reports
A new way to talk about the social determinants of health
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has made materials available from their Vulnerable Populations Portfolio webinar that provide guidance on a way to create more compelling, effective and persuasive messages about the social determinants of health that resonate across the political spectrum. The available materials include webinar slides and recording and a messaging guide. The materials provide information regarding which words, phrases and framing work and why, along with a detailed description of the methodology used to assess how Americans perceive social determinants of health. Click here to read more and to access the materials.
Racial disparities in smoking-attributable mortality and years of potential life lost - Missouri, 2003-2007 (MO)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) comparing the public health burden of smoking among whites and blacks in Missouri from 2003 to 2007. Data from the state Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) were used to determine the prevalence of current and former smoking, and state death records were used to calculate disease-specific deaths. The CDC's Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Costs (SAMMEC) system was used to calculate the smoking attributable mortality (SAM) and years of potential life lost (YPLL) rates for nineteen disease categories. The results show that while SAM for blacks represented only 9.1% of the total SAM, the rate for blacks was 18% higher than for whites, with the disparity being greater for black men than for black women (28% compared to 11%). The smoking-attributable YPLL rate for blacks also was 18% higher than for whites, with black men having a YPLL rate 25% higher than white men, and black women having a YPLL rate 15% higher than white women. These results indicate the need for targeted strategies for high-risk groups, such as persons with lower socioeconomic status or educational attainment, to reduce disparities. The editors suggest that race-specific SAM measures and trends in youth and adult smoking prevalence should be used to assess progress in eliminating tobacco-related disparities within a state. Click here to read the report.
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