Use of tobacco is one of the biggest modifiable risk factors for major and chronic diseases.
The prolonged use or overuse of tobacco and nicotine continues to wreak havoc on populations, especially disadvantaged populations such as Latinos, putting them at higher risk for these diseases.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released its annual report on the state of mental health and substance use in the US.
Based on results from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States covers mental health and substance use, including tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs, and more.
In part one of our series, we’re going to explore the report and find out how using tobacco and nicotine products impacts Latinos.
Tobacco and Nicotine Use among Latinos
Tobacco use comes in many forms, including cigarettes, smokeless tobacco (snuff, dip, chewing tobacco, or snus), cigars, and pipe tobacco.
One of the most popular uses for consuming nicotine is vaping through the use of e-cigarettes or other vaping devices, according to the report.
When examining tobacco and nicotine use over the period of a month in 2023, 64.4 million people (22.7%) used tobacco products with the highest prevalence being among young adults aged 18 to 25 at 10.2 million (30%).
Black individuals were found to be more likely to have used tobacco products in the span of a month at 69.9%, compared with White (57.7%), Hispanic (54.4%), or Multiracial (54.3%) individuals.
Of the 49.9 million current tobacco users, 38.7% were current users in 2023.
10.7 million were current cigar smokers, 7 million were current smokeless tobacco users, and 2 million were current pipe tobacco smokers.
Cigarettes seemed to be the most popular smoking method at 64.1%. Another 13.7% smoked cigarettes or used other tobacco products and 22.4% used only noncigarette tobacco products.
Cigarette consumption within a month was highest among adults aged 26 or older (66.2%) followed by adolescents aged 12 to 17 (59.1%) and young adults aged 18 to 25 (48%).
What’s more, cigarette smoking had a higher prevalence among American Indian or Alaska Native (23.4%) than among Black (15%), White (14.6%), Latino (10.9%), or Asian (6.7%) individuals.
Out of the 38.7 million people who smoke cigarettes, 22.8 million (58.9%) were daily cigarette smokers.
Furthermore, 9 million (39.6%) cigarette users smoked one or more packs a day with individuals 26 and older (40.3%) being more likely than young adults (23.3%) to have smoked one or more packs a day.
Underage tobacco use is also higher among White individuals (5.6%) compared to Latino (3.5%) and Asian individuals (1.5%).
Vaping and Latinos
Over the last several years vaping has become a more widely used form of smoking, especially among younger individuals.
Of the adolescents (aged 12 to 17) who used nicotine products over a month, 74.9% only vaped nicotine.
Vaping was also common among tobacco and nicotine users aged 18 to 25 at 47.6% and adults aged 16 and older at 15.7%.
Tobacco and nicotine vaping was highest among American Indian or Alaska Native (34%) and Multiracial (30.6%) individuals, followed by White (24.7%), Black (24.2%), Latino (17.9%), and Asian (10.3%) individuals.
When examining the current vape users aged 12 or older, Latinos (26.4%) and White individuals (22.7%) were found to be more likely to have vaped nicotine products in the past month compared to Black individuals (17.5%).
26.6 million people (9.4%) used an e-cigarette or other vaping device to vape nicotine over the span of a month with young adults accounting for the majority of users at 8.2 million (24.1%).
Monthly vaping use was highest among American Indian or Alaska Native (14.3%), Multiracial (14%), White individuals (10.5%) compared with Latino (8.2%), Black (7.3%) or Asian individuals (4.3%).
When considering new tobacco users, 5.9 million people began smoking by vaping in the past year with most age 26 and older.
Vaping is beginning to attract a younger generation of smokers.
In the month time frame, 5 million (13.2%) of people who used tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaping devices, were in the 12 to 20 age group.
Of those in that age group, 15.7% White individuals were more likely to have used tobacco or vaped compared to Black (12%), Latino (10.2%), or Asian individuals (4.8%).
Vaping was the most popular in that age group with a 14.2% prevalence among white individuals, compared with Black (9.9%), Latino (9.2%), Asian individuals (4.4%).
Addressing the Use of Tobacco, Cigarettes, and Vapes
Smoking is linked to many diseases, including cancer and heart disease.
This is why many public health experts advocate for strategies and policies to combat the health impact of tobacco, cigarettes, and vaping.
For example, the US legislature raised the federal minimum age for the purchase of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, from 18 to 21 years old in 2019.
At the local level, several US cities have placed a ban on smoking in apartments, including 167 cities in California, which is a state that has a large Latino population.
This initiative that consists of displaying “no smoking” signs and including the measure in occupancy agreements aims to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke.
“We think this is going to improve the quality of living for a lot of the people living in apartments,” said Palma, according to The Press-Enterprise. Palma’s children have asthma exacerbated by secondhand smoke. “We have the right to breathe clean air in our own home.”
Other efforts to reduce tobacco use include graphic health warnings on cigarette labels.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently upheld the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s mandate for these labels.
More effective than text-only warning labels, graphic warnings are a proven method of “increasing public understanding of the dire health consequences of smoking,” according to the American Lung Association.
“It reinforces the government’s power to implement public health advisories, which will likely result in reductions in smoking rates and associated illnesses,” according to the PHLC.
In addition, several public health campaigns highlight the dangers of smoking and the need to quit, including the Great American Smoke Out and World No Tobacco Day.
Every year the World Health Organization hosts World No Tobacco Day to “draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes,” with many taking the pledge to begin their journey to becoming smoke-free.
Some even make it part of their New Year’s resolution.
To address vaping, especially in young adults and teens, multiple public health entities, including the National Institutes of Health and the CDC, have launched campaigns to educate people, especially Latinos through bilingual messaging, on the dangers of vaping.
Check out these campaign resources.
Quit Smoking with Quitxt
Cigarette smoking is a root cause of an estimated 480,000 deaths every year in the US and is the leading cause of cancer death (29%).
Quitting smoking is one of the easiest ways to live a healthier, longer life, and is something that can save money.
Within a year of quitting, your risk of heart disease is cut in half. Those who quit before turning 40 can benefit from a 90% drop in the risk for premature death, according to a Salud America! report.
Starting on the path to a smoke-free existence is as easy as pressing a button.
Latinos in the South Texas area who are struggling with quitting smoking can benefit from Quitxt, which is a bilingual service from UT Health San Antonio and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.
The free service sends text messages to smartphones to help adults quit smoking.
Quitxt messages help motivate your journey to quit, can help you set a quite date, and give you resources about handling stress and nicotine replacements.
“There’s no better time than now to stop smoking with help from Quitxt,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio. “Quitting smoking is proven to improve your health, increase your life span, and save money.”
To join Quitxt in English, text “iquit” to 844-332-2058.
For Spanish, text “lodejo” to 844-332-2058.
The post The State of Tobacco and Vaping Use among Latinos appeared first on Salud America.
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