title: Understanding the African American "Smoker".
abstract: This commentary draws on the articles contained in this special African American youth and adult tobacco use supplement to better understand the apparent paradox of low youth smoking rates and high adult smoking rates. Implications for tobacco use prevention and control are discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This commentary introduces the reader to the topics and questions addressed in the supplement and urges an invigorated public health response to address tobacco-caused disease and death in African Americans.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA ubauer@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Ursula E
authors.initials: UE
authors.lastname: Bauer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D020340:Tobacco Use Cessation / Q000208:ethnology / Q000379:methods; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology