Tobacco-Related Disparities in Specific Populations

Research

Why African American youth smoke less, but are at higher long-term risk
Recent research investigated differences in smoking behavior that may account for the fact that African American smokers consume fewer cigarettes, yet develop higher rates of tobacco-related disease compared to white smokers. Focus groups were conducted among youth smokers in an urban Southwest Texas area to determine how African Americans’ smoking habits differed from those of their white counterparts. The responses from the African American youth indicated that they inhaled more deeply and smoked their cigarettes completely to the filter due to concerns of wasting them, whereas white and Hispanic smokers responded that they extinguished their cigarettes closer to the middle. The differences in the ways African American youth smoke may produce higher exposures to harmful particulate matter than their counterparts of other races/ethnicities. Click here to read the study abstract in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

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Reports

Fact sheets for women in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Spanish
Break Free Alliance has released a fact sheet on Smoking and Women’s Health that is now available in Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Spanish. This fact sheet was funded by the Tobacco Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP) to disseminate tobacco-related cancer data to priority populations in California. Click here to access this fact sheet in English.

Updated National Networks for Tobacco Control and Prevention website
The website for the six Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded National Networks provides helpful information, resources and links regarding priority populations. It also contains a vast inventory of tools and programs for working with members of the National Networks. The website has recently been updated, and now features current news, upcoming events, pictures, and discussion feeds. Click here to access the updated website.

Asian Smokers' Quitline now available nationwide
The Asian Smokers’ Quitline, the first cessation service developed specifically for U.S. smokers who speak Asian languages, is now delivering free nationwide telephone assistance for Cantonese-, Mandarin-, Korean- and Vietnamese-speakers who want to quit smoking. Callers can speak with a bilingual/bicultural counselor to receive help with quitting smoking, informational materials, and referrals to other sources. Those who call will also receive a two-week starter kit of nicotine patches. Tobacco control professionals can help increase smokers’ access to this resource by informing their patients, colleagues, and community members about the Asian Smokers’ Quitline. Click here for more information, and for resources to help states and communities to promote the service.

Dissemination report: Tobacco control in LGBT communities
Legacy has released a new publication that highlights the high prevalence of tobacco use in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities in the United States. This report examines sociocultural aspects of tobacco use as well as tobacco-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among LGBT individuals. This publication also includes examples of Legacy-funded projects that have been implemented to address tobacco-related disparities in these populations. Click here to read more. Click here to access the full report, and click here for a fact sheet on LGBTs and tobacco use.

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