Tobacco-Related Disparities in Specific Populations

Research

Adolescent pathways to adult smoking: ethnic identity, peer substance use, and antisocial behavior
Research published in the American Journal on Addictions indicates that among African Americans and Puerto Ricans, earlier adolescent smoking, family conflict, and weak ethnic identity were associated with antisocial behavior, having friends that smoke, and smoking. The study interviewed African-Americans and Puerto Ricans during adolescence, in their early twenties, and in their mid-twenties to assess factors related to adult smoking. The results suggest that anti-smoking interventions for these populations should strengthen ethnic identity and focus on decreasing smoking during adolescence, parent-child conflict, and antisocial behavior. Read the study abstract.

Are nonsmokers smarter than smokers?
A study of 20,211 randomly selected Israeli military recruits has found that young men who smoke at least a pack of cigarettes per day had average IQ scores 7.5 points lower than their nonsmoking counterparts, even when socioeconomic status and education levels are taken into account. Smoking status was determined via a smoking questionnaire, and IQ was measured by a standardized military intelligence test. The researchers found that the average IQ for nonsmokers was 101 and was 94 for those who started smoking before entering the military. IQ decreased as the number of daily cigarettes increased. Click here to read more or click here to read the abstract of the study, published in Addiction.

Cigarette smoking as a coping strategy: Negative implications for subsequent psychological distress among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths
Research published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology shows that smoking increases feelings of distress in lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth, especially if they have high stress levels or little social support. A sample of 156 LGB youth was followed for a year to determine the impact of smoking on feelings of distress, and to find out whether coping resources like social support moderate the relationship between smoking and distress. The results indicate that smoking made the association between stress and anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems worse, while support of friends and family lessened this association. Read the study abstract here.

Demonstrating the importance and feasibility of including sexual orientation in public health surveys: Health disparities in the Pacific Northwest
Data from the 2003-2006 Washington State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) were analyzed to identify associations between sexual orientation and chronic health conditions, risk behaviors, and access to healthcare and preventive services. Lesbian and bisexual women were more likely than heterosexual women to have poor overall health, asthma, be overweight, smoke, and drink alcohol excessively and were less likely to have access to care and use preventive services. Gay and bisexual men were more likely than heterosexual men to have poor mental health and to smoke. The existence of these disparities shows the importance of including sexual orientation as a demographic in health surveillance systems in order to inform adaptation of health delivery systems to meet the needs of the LGB community. Click here to read the abstract, published in the American Journal of Public Health.

Will Asian-language smokers use a tobacco quitline?
Researchers at the University of California have found that smokers that speak Asian languages are utilizing Asian-language quitlines. Researchers used data from fifteen years of the California quitline and from California Health Interview Surveys to calculate call rates for whites, English-speaking Asians, and Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese speaking Asians. They found that smokers speaking Asian languages were equally likely to call the quitline as English speaking white smokers, and that most Asian callers heard about the quitline though a multi-language anti-smoking media campaign. The results indicate that Asian-Americans in other states could benefit from Asian-language quitlines, as these lines reduce disparities in access. Click here to read more, or read the abstract of the study, published in the American Journal of Public Health.

Healthy living adds years to life
A new study indicates that Americans who smoke, have high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and are overweight may reduce their life expectancy by about four years, with even shorter life spans for more disadvantaged groups. Researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and National Center for Health Statistics to estimate risk factor levels and death rates among eight disadvantaged subgroups of the US population. The results show that the four risk factors account for a significant part (20%) of the difference in life expectancy among the groups and account for 75% of differences in cardiovascular deaths and up to 50% of differences in cancer deaths. The researchers suggest that public health efforts to reduce risk factors should be appropriately targeted to the groups that need them the most. Click here to read more, or click here to read the study abstract, published on the journal Public Library of Science Medicine.

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Reports

Blacks and Menthol fact sheet
The National African American Tobacco Prevention Network (NAATPN) has developed a new fact sheet on menthol cigarettes and their popularity among Black smokers. Click here to download the fact sheet.

Legacy’s Small Innovative Grants Report: Exploring Promising Programming in Tobacco Control
Legacy has released its latest report, “Legacy’s Small Innovative Grants: Exploring Promising Programming in Tobacco Control.” This report seeks to galvanize the concept of innovation in tobacco control and examines the importance of supporting promising new ideas and approaches. It highlights how SIG demonstrated innovative grant making by seeding new projects; enabling organizations to incubate a broad range of new ideas or approaches; and helping organizations gain new perspectives or better understanding of tobacco control in the most vulnerable and traditionally underserved sections of the U.S. population through community-based interventions. Click here to download the report.

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