Tobacco-Related Disparities in Specific Populations

Research

Who is most susceptible to movie smoking effects? Exploring the impacts of race and socioeconomic status
Exposure to smoking in movies has been found to be associated with race and socioeconomic status (SES). A national sample of 3,653 American adolescents aged 13-18 was surveyed by telephone about their smoking behaviors. Study variables assessed in this study among adolescents that had ever tried smoking were exposure to movie smoking, race, SES, and family background characteristics. The proportion of blacks that reported ever trying cigarettes was lower (32%) compared to Hispanics (41%) and whites (38%). Additionally, white, high SES adolescents were more susceptible to movie smoking exposure than other races. Evidence shows that media messages about smoking may be more influential among white adolescents with higher SES.  Click here to read the study abstract published in Addiction.

The last drag: An evaluation of an LGBT-specific smoking intervention
An effective smoking cessation intervention has been discovered that targets lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. Data gathered from 233 LGBT participants during a six-week education and support centered smoking cessation program titled “The Last Drag” were examined to assess quit rates following the intervention. About 60% of the participants were smoke-free by the end of the intervention, and 36% remained smoke-free by the six month follow up assessment. “The Last Drag” appears to be a successful, low-cost, and easily replicated smoking cessation intervention program specifically designed to address the LGBT community, but the intervention may also be effective in other communities. Click here to read more about this study published in the Journal of Homosexuality.

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Reports

Tribal tobacco policy toolkits
In partnership with several health organizations, the South Dakota Tobacco Control Program has created three online toolkits that are designed to be a comprehensive resource to help tribal communities create smoke-free policies. Each toolkit focuses on one of three target groups: community advocates, K-12 schools, or post-secondary institutions/young adults. These detailed toolkits promote community collaboration among tribal leaders, employers, schools, healthcare providers, families, and individual citizens to address the specific needs of tribal communities in reducing the influence of commercial tobacco. Click here to access the toolkits.

New publications by the National Native Network
Three publications have been written by the National Native Network and are available as resources on commercial tobacco policy implementation in American Indian (AI)/American Native (AN) communities. The first is a tribal tobacco funding position paper titled “For As Long As the Grasses Grow and Rivers Flow” that explains the history of commercial tobacco control programs in relationship to use among AI/AN populations; the political obligation of the federal government in ensuring tribal self-governance; and the importance of direct funding to tribal nations for tobacco control. Click here to access this report. The other two publications are policy briefs on opportunities afforded to tribes by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act and smoke-free policies and tribal sovereignty.  Click here to access the former paper, and click here to access the latter.

Lung Association releases tobacco use in rural communities report
A new report released by the American Lung Association (ALA) addresses tobacco use in rural communities in the U.S. The rural population in the U.S. suffers greatly with high rates of tobacco use, secondhand smoke exposure, and tobacco-related illnesses. This report titled “Cutting Tobacco’s Rural Roots: Tobacco Use In Rural Communities” discusses the characteristics of this population related to tobacco use, and recommends several actions that can be taken to help reduce the disproportionate amount of tobacco use in these communities. Click here to access this report. The ALA has also released a fact sheet that focuses on tobacco use specifically in rural California, available here.

MPOWERED: Best and Promising Practices for LGBT Tobacco Prevention and Control
A new document titled “MPOWERED: Best and Promising Practices for LGBT Tobacco Prevention and Control” has been released by the Network for LGBT Health Equity. The document contains tobacco prevention strategies and interventions specifically designed to address tobacco-related disparities in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community. MPOWERED was created in an effort to document and preserve all of the tobacco prevention efforts taking place across the country that aid in reducing LGBT health disparities. Click here to read more and to access this document.

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