The United States has some of the highest numbers for smoking addicts. Although the rate of smoking cessation has improved over the years, there are still a high number of smokers in the US.
These addicts are not only native Americans but belong to other ethnic and racial groups as well. This is important to know because ethnic and racial groups show differences in the rates of smoking and cessation.
Statistics for prevalence of smoking in various racial and ethnic groups
There have been many surveys that have looked at differences in smoking and cessation rates based on different parameters, of which race and ethnicity was a major one. Below given are some statistics based on surveys related to smoking prevalence among the various ethnic and racial groups living in different parts of the US.
32.4% of American Indians/Alaska Natives
9.9% of Asians**
15.8% of Hispanics
22.0% of Whites (non-Hispanic)
21.3% of Blacks (non-Hispanic)
(**Excluding Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders)
Source: Original Source
Reasons for differences among racial and ethnic groups in smoking prevalence
There are many reasons for differences among these various groups when it comes to smoking prevalence. Many socio-economic factors like education, income, acceptability as well as gender play a part in determining these differences.
Gender has always been a major divider when it comes to smoking. Men always outnumber women when it comes to smoking, and this is no different for specific racial and ethnic groups. Also, the acceptability levels for men is greater as compared to women.
Education is a major determinant in determining smoking and cessation prevalence. Surveys and researches have shown that prevalence of smoking is greater in populations that have a lower level of education and higher rates of dropouts. The cessation rates are lower for these groups as compared ot other groups. One of the main reasons behind this difference is that the awareness about tobacco and its ill effects on the body is limited in such groups.
Income is another major determinant of prevalence of smoking. Lower income means lesser money at free disposal. Higher incomes gives greater freedom when it comes to spending on things other than bare necessities. This gives rise to differences in prevalence of smoking among different groups.
