Focusing our attention on tobacco-related health disparities

Smoking or tobacco use is a significant risk factor for health conditions such as cancer and heart disease. While using tobacco products can have the same impact on every person’s health, some groups of people are more likely than others to experience the effects, which creates tobacco-related health disparities.

Tobacco use was much more prevalent in the U.S., with many people smoking or using other tobacco products at some point. In the last several decades, however, news reporting and ads have successfully spread the word about the health dangers of smoking.

Today, we can celebrate a significant decrease in smoking rates compared to 20 years ago. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking decreased from 20.9% in 2005 to 11.5% by 2021. This means nearly 21 out of every 100 were smokers in 2005, compared with 11.5 out of every 100 in 2021.

While that’s good news, the use of tobacco products is still prominent among youth and young adults, along with other groups of people, which has an impact on their health. Read on as we explore tobacco-related health disparities.

Breaking down tobacco’s effect on health

While we’ve made good progress in decreasing the number of people using tobacco products, smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S. Smoking-related disease affects more than 16 million Americans, and more than 480,000 people die each year due to smoking or secondhand smoke exposure.

While you might think of tobacco use damaging the lungs, it causes harm throughout the body. Smoking increases the risk of diseases, including lung disease, heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, vascular disease, vision loss and aneurysm. It’s also a risk factor for many types of cancer, including cancers affecting the mouth, esophagus, kidneys, liver, bladder, pancreas and colon, among others.

It's important to remember that the dangers of smoking are not limited to adults. A 2016 study found that smokers between ages 26 and 41 experienced reduced health-related quality of life. This underscores the urgent need to address tobacco use among young people.

While these are known facts, some people continue to smoke and use tobacco products, often influenced in part by factors beyond their control. That’s where tobacco-related health disparities come into play.

Why the health effects don’t affect everyone equally

It might seem like every person has the free will to choose whether to smoke. That’s true, but certain factors make you more likely to smoke, including discrimination and other social conditions.

The tobacco industry has long targeted its marketing efforts toward specific populations, including young people and African Americans. In one example, advertisements often promote menthol tobacco products toward people of color, including African Americans and Hispanics. As a result, people in these groups disproportionately smoke menthol cigarettes.

As part of a more significant focus on health equity, which is equal access to positive health outcomes for all people, communities are increasingly focusing on how to reduce tobacco use among those in high-risk racial, ethnic and minority groups.

Reducing tobacco-related health disparities requires a two-pronged approach—an active push toward tobacco prevention and a goal to increase access to tobacco cessation support. Change begins with spreading the word about the dangers of smoking, secondhand exposure to smoke and other tobacco use.

Education should include the message that quitting smoking almost immediately benefits health. Many people find it overwhelming when trying to quit on their own, making access to smoking cessation help essential.

Healthcare providers and organizations such as the Louisiana Tobacco Quitline are here to make it easier for every person to access the smoking cessation assistance and resources they need to quit.

These resources and renewed attention to tobacco-related health disparities can help improve health equity.

Quitting smoking is a crucial choice to improve your health—and you don’t have to go it alone. Touro offers help with smoking cessation.