Smoking cessation initiatives for Black Americans: recommendations for research and intervention

Abstract

This paper summarizes research concerning Black Americans' smoking and quitting patterns in order to define directions for needed Black-focused quit-smoking initiatives. Past research suggests that the socio-demographic correlates of smokingstatus among Black Americans are similar to those for the US population as a whole but identifies a distinctive low-rate/high-nicotine smoking pattern. The determinants of quitting motivation and success among Black smokers appear similar to those among smokers in general, but access to effective quitting resources and treatments is more limited. Implications from present findings are that successful Black-focused quit-smoking initiatives should include: community-based healtheducation campaigns to raise awareness of smoking health harms and quitting benefits and strengthen supports for nonsmoking; aggressive outreach to improve the Black smoker's access to state-of-the-art self-help and intensive quitting resourcesand programs using innovative delivery modes within the Black community; and treatments that are tailored to a modal low-rate/high-nicotine smoking pattern and responsive to the quitting barriers disproportionately faced by Black smokers. Additional research is recommended to define the most effective sources, messages and channels for Black-targeted healthcommunications and quit-smoking treatments.