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African Americans and Tobacco
African Americans
continue to suffer disproportionately from chronic and preventable disease
compared with white Americans.1 Of the three leading causes of
death in African Americans — heart disease, cancer, and stroke —
smoking and other tobacco use are major contributors.2
Health Effects
- Each year,
approximately 45,000 African Americans die from a preventable
smoking-related disease.3
- If current
trends continue, an estimated 1.6 million African Americans who are
now under the age of 18 years will become regular smokers. About
500,000 of those smokers will die of a smoking-related disease.4
- Smoking is
responsible for 87% of lung cancers. African American men are at
least 50% more likely to develop lung cancer than white men.1
African American men have a higher mortality rate of cancer of the
lung and bronchus (100.8 per 100,000) than do white men (70.1 per
100,000).5
- Stroke is
associated with cerebrovascular disease and is a major cause of
death in the United States. Smoking significantly elevates the risk
of stroke. Cerebrovascular disease is twice as high among African
American men (53.1 per 100,000) as among white men (26.3 per
100,000) and twice as high among African American women (40.6 per
100,000) as among white women (22.6 per 100,000).1
- Levels of
serum cotinine (metabolized nicotine) are higher among African
American smokers than among white or Mexican American smokers for
the same number of cigarettes.6
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Cigarette Smoking
Prevalence
- In 1997,
current smoking prevalence rates were similar among African American
adults (26.7%) and white adults (25.3%) in the United States.7
- In 1997,
African American men (32.1%) smoked at a higher rate than white men
(27.4%); African American women (22.4%) and white women (23.3%),
however, smoked at a similar rate.7
- The
decline of smoking among African American young people during the
1970s and 1980s was widely viewed as a great public health success.
Unfortunately, recent national surveys have shown that smoking rates
among African American high school students are starting to
increase, although those rates are still lower than those for other
students.8
- The 1999
National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) estimates that cigarette smoking prevalence
during the past month was higher among white high school
students (32.8%) and lower among African American (15.8%) students.
However, the rate of smoking among middle school students was
similar; about 1 in 10 African American (9.0%) and white (8.8%)
middle school students reported having smoked cigarettes in the past
month.8
- The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 1999 Youth Risk
Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) report estimates that cigarette smoking prevalence
during the past month was higher among white (38.6%)
and Hispanic (32.7%) high school students than among African
American (19.7%) students.9
- According
to 1999 the Monitoring the Future Survey data, past month smoking
prevalence was lower among African American high school seniors
(14.9%) than among white (40.1%) high school seniors.10
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Cigarette Smoking
Behavior
- Approximately three of every four African American smokers prefer
menthol cigarettes. Among whites, approximately a quarter of smokers
prefer menthol cigarettes. Menthol may facilitate absorption of
harmful cigarette smoke constituents.1
- Among
adult African American smokers the most popular brands are Newport,
Kool, and Salem. Similar brand preference was found among African
American teens with 61.3 % preferred Newport, 10.9% preferred Kool,
and 9.7% preferred Salem.1
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Prevalence of other
forms of tobacco use
- Aggregated
National Health Interview Survey data from 1987 and 1991 show that
more white men (4.8%) smoked cigars than did African American men
(3.9%).1
- African
American men (3.1%) use chewing tobacco or snuff less than white men
(6.8%).1
- The 1999
NYTS study found that cigar use was nearly similar among white
(16.0%) and African American (14.8%) high school students; African
American middle school students (8.8%) were significantly more
likely to smoke cigars than were white students (4.9%).8
- In 1999,
the prevalence of smokeless tobacco use was lower among African
American high school (2.4%) and middle school (1.9%) male students
than among white high school (8.7%) and middle school (3.0%), and
among Hispanic high school (3.6%) and middle school (2.2%) male
students.8
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African Americans and
Quitting
- Of current
African American adult smokers, more than 70% indicated that they
want to quit smoking completely.11 African American
smokers are more likely than white smokers to have quit for at least
one day during the previous year (29.7% compared with 26.0%).1
- Prevalence
of cessation (the percentage of persons who have smoked at least 100
cigarettes and quit) is higher among whites (50.5%) than among African
Americans (35.4%).1
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Tobacco Industry
Economic Influence
- A one-year
study found that three major African American publications — Ebony,
Jet, and Essence — received proportionately higher
profits from cigarette advertisements than did other magazines.1
- The
tobacco industry attempts to maintain a positive image and public
support among African Americans by supporting cultural events and
making contributions to minority higher education institutions,
elected officials, civic and community organizations, and
scholarship programs.1
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References
- U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services. Tobacco Use Among U.S. Racial/Ethnic
Minority Groups — African Americans, American Indians and Alaska
Natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics: A Report of
the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1998.
- Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, Chronic Disease in Minority Populations.
Atlanta: CDC, 1994: 2-16.
- Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health, Unpublished data,
1995.
- Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. At-A-Glance. Tobacco Use Among U.S.
Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups — African Americans, American
Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and
Hispanics, Atlanta: CDC, 1998.
- American Cancer
Society, Inc.. Cancer Facts and Figures 2000. Atlanta: ACS, 2000.
- Caraballo R. racial
and ethnic differences in serum cotinine levels of cigarette smokers,
Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1991."
JAMA 1998; 280(2):135-9.
- Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Cigarette smoking among adults–United States,
1997. MMWR 1999; 48: 993-6.
- Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Tobacco use among middle and high school students–United
States, 1999. MMWR 2000; 49: 49-53.
- Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Youth risk behavior surveillance–United States,
1999. MMWR 2000; 49, No. SS-5.
- The University of
Michigan. Cigarette Smoking Among American Teens Continues Gradual Decline
(press release). December 17, 1999.
- Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Cigarette smoking among adults–United
States, 1993. MMWR 1994 43: 925-29.
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