In addition to persons in SUD treatment, Latinos are another important tobacco disparity group. Although Latinos tend to smoke at lower rates than non-Latino whites, they have disproportionately high rates of lung cancer death and are less likely than non-Latino whites to receive tobacco cessation services. Additionally, service providers may underestimate the severity of Latino smoking due to Latinos’ greater likelihood of being light and intermittent smokers.
This study aimed to compare, in a national sample of persons enrolled in SUD treatment, demographic, drug use, and smoking and quitting prevalence and behaviors between Latinos and non-Latino whites.
Researchers surveyed 777 SUD treatment clients, sampled from 24 clinics selected at random from the NIDA Clinical Trials Network (Latino client n=141; 40% female). Statistical analyses were then conducted to identify correlates of smoking behaviors by Latinos/non-Latino whites in treatment for substance use disorders.
Results found that Latinos’ smoking prevalence closely resembled that of non-Latino whites (78.7% vs. 77.4%). Additionally, Latino smokers:
Funding for this Addiction Science Made Easy project is provided by the Addiction Technology Transfer Center National Office, under the cooperative agreement from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment of SAMHSA.
Articles were written based on the following published research:
Pagano A, et al. Cigarette Smoking and Quit Attempts Among Latinos in Substance Use Disorder Treatment. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 2018 (in press).