title: The association between chronic disease and smoking beliefs and behaviors in African American young adult smokers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  African American young adults have higher rates of smoking and chronic disease than Whites. Understanding the association between chronic disease and smoking beliefs and behaviors could improve cessation strategies for young adult smokers.
  
  
  METHODS
  African American young adult smokers aged 18-29 years (n = 243) were administered surveys assessing smoking beliefs and behaviors. Participants indicated if they had physician-diagnosed asthma, diabetes, and/or hypertension. Responses were analyzed using logistic regression, comparing responses of those diagnosed with a chronic disease to those without that disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Smokers with asthma were 2.20 times more likely to acknowledge smoking negatively affected their health yet were no more likely to make a quit attempt than those without asthma. Diabetic smokers were 4.10 times more likely than those without to have made a quit attempt, yet were 3.24 times more likely to disagree that they were in control of their smoking. Hypertensive smokers were more likely to be heavier smokers and were 3.12 times more likely to disagree that they would stop smoking if they knew it affected the health of others than those without hypertension. Smokers with chronic disease were less likely to be influenced to quit by their physician than smokers without.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  African American young adult smokers with a chronic disease often diverge from smokers without that chronic disease in smoking beliefs and behaviors. These may influence how young adults respond to cessation messages and programs.
authors.forename: Cassandra
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Petrilla
authors.forename: Marshall K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Cheney
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003469:Culture; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology*; D055815:Young Adult