Smoking behaviors and regular source of health care among African Americans.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the study was to determine associations between having a regular source of health care, advice from a physician to quit smoking, and smoking-related behaviors among African American smokers.


METHODS
A secondary analysis was conducted on data obtained from an intervention study with a posttest assessment of the effectiveness of smoking status as a vital sign. The setting was an adult walk-in clinic at a large inner-city hospital and 879 African American adult current smokers were examined.


RESULTS
Among African American smokers, there was an association between having a regular source of health care and planning to quit smoking within the next 30 days (OR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.04-2.05), receiving physician advice to quit (OR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.02-2.10), and smoking < or =10 cigarettes a day (OR = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.00-2.03).


CONCLUSIONS
African American current smokers with a regular source of health care were further along the quitting process than those without a regular source of health care. Our findings indicate a potential benefit of complementing programs that increase physician cessation advice rates with policies that increase rates of health insurance and the likelihood that individuals have a regular source of health care.
Ahluwalia
Jasjit S
JS
Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, Kansas 66160, USA. jahluwal@kumc.edu
Dang
Kulmeet S
KS
Choi
Won S
WS
Harris
Kari Jo
KJ
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D007615:Kansas / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011203:Poverty; D011336:Probability; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000208:ethnology*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention