title: Smoking reduction practices among African American smokers.
abstract: Despite smoking fewer cigarettes per day than Caucasians, African Americans bear a disproportionate share of health consequences of smoking. Because the risk of many tobacco-related diseases is dose-dependent, smoking reduction has been suggested as a method to reduce harm for smokers. Little information exists about behavioral smoking-reduction strategies and whether such strategies result in smoking fewer cigarettes. We conducted a survey of 484 African American smokers classified as occasional, light, moderate, and heavy smokers. The survey examined sociodemography, smoking characteristics, and eight smoking reduction strategies, including intentional limiting of smoking, smoking less than half of a cigarette, setting a daily limit for smoking, changing cigarette brand, reducing number of cigarettes, smoking only on some days, switching to a lighter tar cigarette, and not inhaling deeply. Compared to moderate and heavy smokers, occasional and light smokers were more likely to have engaged in most of these strategies. Smokers who used >or= 4 strategies on average smoked 11 cigarettes per day (cpd), compared to 14 cpd and 18 cpd for those who used 1 to 3 strategies and no strategies respectively (p <.0001). After analyses controlled for age, gender, and education, the number of smoking reduction strategies utilized was a significant predictor of smoking 10 or fewer cigarettes per day. This study provides evidence that African American smokers who engaged in multiple smoking reduction strategies smoked fewer cigarettes per day. Smokers not interested in quitting but willing to reduce their smoking should be encouraged to utilize a variety of smoking reduction strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department Family Medicine, Kansas Cancer Institute, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, Kansas 66160, USA. kokuyemi@kumc.edu
authors.forename: Kolawole S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Okuyemi
authors.forename: Kimber P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: Jasjit S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ahluwalia
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Mosier
authors.forename: Niaman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nazir
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Resnicow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology