Americans may have made progress in quitting smoking, but a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that some groups maintain high smoking rates, The Arizona Daily Star reports.
Bridgette Garrett, associate director for health equity at the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, says in a news release that,
Even though the overall cigarette smoking rate is declining, disparities remain among racial and ethnic groups and within subgroups.
Smoking rates dropped from 28 to 25% for whites and blacks between the years 2002-2005, and 2010-2013. In the same period, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. showed a dramatic decrease in their smoking rates, going from 31 to 23%, the study says.
Among American Indians and Native Alaskans, however, smoking rates increased from 37 to 39%.
Among Asian-Americans, smoking rates dropped overall from 14.5 to 11%. But within the group, Asian Indians, Chinese and Japanese had lower smoking rates while Filipinos, Vietnamese and Koreans had higher smoking rates. Koreans were reported to have the highest smoking rate among Asian-Americans, at 20%.
The numbers fell for Hispanics in the U.S., from 24 to 20%. But there was a big difference among the groups. According to the study, Puerto Ricans had the highest smoking rates at 23.5%, followed by Cubans at 20%. Mexicans came in third at 19%, and Central and South Americans at 16%.
Corinne Graffunder, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, says that there are many proven ways to reduce smoking, including “hard-hitting media campaigns, higher prices for tobacco products, and promotion of cessation treatment in clinical settings.” She says these strategies could be the key to helping reduce high smoking rates among racial and ethnic populations.
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable mortality and diseases in the country. It is responsible for over 480,000 early deaths annually — that’s one in five deaths. For each death, around 30 Americans suffer from a tobacco-related condition, the CDC says. Smoking kills more people yearly than the combination of illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle accidents, firearm-related incidents and the Human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV) virus.
Using tobacco products has an adverse effect on almost all organs in the human body, heightening risks for fatal diseases such as cancer, heart disease, respiratory diseases and complications in pregnant women. Quitting smoking has been proven to extend life expectancy and reduce overall risks for contracting diseases, according to the CDC.
The study was published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
