Title | Widening disparities in cigarette smoking by race/ethnicity across education level in the United States. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2020 |
Authors | Nguyen-Grozavu, FT, Pierce, JP, Sakuma, K-L, Leas, EC, McMenamin, SB, Kealey, S, Benmarhnia, T, Emery, SL, White, MM, Fagan, P, Trinidad, DR |
Journal | Prev Med |
Volume | 139 |
Pagination | 106220 |
Date Published | 07/2020 |
ISSN | 1096-0260 |
Abstract | Reducing tobacco use is an important public health objective. It is the largest preventable cause of death and disease, yet inequalities remain. This study examines combined educational and racial/ethnic disparities in the United States related to cigarette smoking for the three largest racial/ethnic groups (African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and non-Hispanic Whites). Data included nine Tobacco Use Supplements to the Current Population Surveys (TUS-CPS) conducted in the United States from 1992/1993-2018 for four smoking metrics: ever smoking rates, current smoking rates, consumption (cigarettes per day), and quit ratios. Across all TUS-CPS samples, there were 9.5% African Americans, 8.8% Hispanics/Latinos, and 81.8% non-Hispanic Whites who completed surveys. Findings revealed that lower educational attainment was associated with increased ever and current smoking prevalence over time across all racial/ethnic groups, and education-level disparities within each race/ethnicity widened over time. Disparities in ever and current smoking rates between the lowest and highest categories of educational attainment (less than a high school education vs. completion of college) were larger for African Americans and non-Hispanic Whites than Hispanics/Latinos. Non-Hispanic Whites had the highest cigarette consumption across all education levels over time. College graduates had the highest quit ratios for all racial/ethnic groups from 1992 to 2018, with quit ratios significantly increasing for Hispanics/Latinos and non-Hispanic Whites, but not African Americans. In conclusion, educational disparities in smoking have worsened over time, especially among African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos. Targeted tobacco control efforts could help reduce these disparities to meet public health objectives, although racial/ethnic disparities may persist regardless of educational attainment. |
DOI | 10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106220 |
Alternate Journal | Prev Med |
PubMed ID | 32693179 |
Grant List | R01 CA234539 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States |