Tobacco-Related Disparities in Specific Populations

Research

A qualitative analysis of the tobacco control climate in the U.S. military
Recent surveys show increased tobacco use among military personnel despite military tobacco control efforts and the negative impact tobacco has on their health and performance. To address this, researchers interviewed tobacco control managers and service policy leaders from the four branches of the military to determine factors that contribute or detract from tobacco control efforts among military members. Researchers found that the main strength of the efforts is the availability of counseling and pharmacotherapy to military personnel, but other structural, cultural, and policy measures are seen as necessary to decreasing tobacco use among members of the military. Click here to read the study abstract, published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

Adaptation of a smoking cessation and prevention website for urban American Indian/Alaska Native youth
A focus group of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth indicated that they are receptive to using web-based, Zine-style intervention tools, and desire them to be oriented towards their cultural images. Researchers had adapted an existing web-based youth tobacco control program to cater to urban AI/ANs to address the disproportionate prevalence of tobacco use among this population. The authors say that future research should examine whether successful programs for reducing tobacco use among urban AI/AN youth can keep occasional youth smokers from becoming regular adult smokers. Click here to read more about the article, published in the Journal of Cancer Education.

Reaching Spanish-speaking smokers: State-level evidence of untapped potential for QuitLine utilization
Researchers at the University of Colorado have found that a statewide Spanish-language media campaign was successful in increasing use of the state’s quitline and improving cessation outcomes among young Latinos. Call volume, service utilization, and quit rates at seven-month follow-up were compared before and during a Spanish-language media campaign. During the campaign, QuitLine calls by Latinos increased by 57.6%; those that called during the campaign were younger, less educated, and more likely to be uninsured than those that called pre-campaign. Quit rates among Latino enrollees during the campaign improved as well, with 7-day abstinence increasing from 29.6% to 41.0% and 6-month abstinence increasing from 9.6% to 18.8%. Click here to read the abstract of the study, published in the American Journal of Public Health.

Smoking cessation: Next steps for special populations research and innovative treatments
The February 2010 issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology has a special section dedicated to understudied groups of smokers and innovative treatments. For this research, special populations of smokers are defined as having greater than 10% higher smoking prevalence than the general population of smokers, disproportionate tobacco-related health disparities, less access to treatment, and a lack of prospective longitudinal treatment trials. Taken together, the articles show the need for cultural adaptation of evidence-based treatment for underserved smokers. Click here  for the table of contents or click here to read the introductory article.

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