文章基本信息

标题：African American Women and Smoking: Starting Later
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作者：Joyce Moon-Howard
期刊名称：American journal of public health
印刷版ISSN：0090-0036
出版年度：2003
卷号：93
期号：3
页码：418-420
语种：English
出版社：American Public Health Association
摘要：It is commonly accepted that adolescence is the period for initiation into smoking and other tobacco use behaviors. However, evidence is increasing that the set of presumptions about adolescent onset of tobacco use may not be true for all cultural or subpopulation groups. Secondary analysis of data from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) was used to examine ethnic differences in smoking patterns among African American and White women. Results showed a striking racial/ethnic difference in age of onset; African American women initiate smoking later than White women at each age group. Prevention interventions need to continue beyond adolescence well into the adult years, especially for African American women. Late onset for these women represents an often missed window of opportunity for prevention. IT IS COMMONLY ACCEPTED that tobacco use has an agedefined period of onset: adolescence is the period for initiation into smoking and other tobacco use behaviors. 1 Surveillance data show a relatively narrow age range for smoking onset, after which the presumed risk of initiation decreases. A number of studies conclude that very few people begin to use tobacco as adults; they note that most adult smokers report that first use had occurred by the time they graduated from high school. 1, 2 In addition, several studies have shown that adolescent onset is strongly associated with continued use throughout the life course. 1 Health problems associated with smoking are a function of the duration (years) and the intensity (amount) of use. Thus, earlier onset would provide more time and opportunity for the risk of more serious health consequences. 3, 4 These research findings have influenced tobacco control proponents who have strongly urged that prevention efforts be targeted at preadolescents and young teens (< 18 years old), reasoning that postponing the onset of tobacco use in adolescence makes it less likely that initiation will occur. The overwhelming majority of tobacco education and prevention initiatives target youths aged younger than 18 years. These efforts include school-based education and prevention programs, banning billboard advertisement of tobacco within 1000 feet of schools, enforcing laws restricting minors’ access to tobacco products, and youth-oriented mass media campaigns. 5 However, there is increasing evidence that the set of presumptions about adolescent onset and duration of tobacco use may not be true for all cultural or subpopulation groups. It is encouraging that smoking prevalence has decreased in the United States. 2 However, a focus on overall prevalence masks important differences within racial/ethnic, sex, and age-specific groups. 6, 7 A case in point is smoking patterns among White and Black women, especially at younger ages.