American journal of preventive medicine
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In the U.S., low-income individuals generally smoke more than high-income individuals. However, detailed information about how smoking patterns differ by income, especially differences by birth cohort, is lacking. ⋯ Smoking prevalence has been decreasing in all income groups; however, disparities in smoking by family income are widening in recent birth cohorts. Future studies evaluating smoking disparities should account for cohort differences. Intervention strategies should focus on reducing initiation and improving quit success among low-income groups.
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Physicians' perspectives regarding the etiology of racial health differences may be associated with their use of race in clinical practice (race-based practice). This study evaluates whether attributing racial differences in health to genetics, culture, or social conditions is associated with race-based practice. ⋯ Physicians who believed that genetic or cultural differences between racial groups explained racial differences in health outcomes were more likely to use race in clinical care. Further research is needed to determine how race is differentially applied in clinical care on the basis of the belief in its genetic or cultural significance.
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Smoke-free policies (SFP) in multi-unit housing are a promising tool for reducing exposure to tobacco smoke among residents. Concerns about increased housing instability due to voluntary or involuntary transitions induced by SFPs have been a primary barrier to greater widespread adoption. The impact of SFP implementation on transitions out of public housing in federally funded public housing authorities in Massachusetts was evaluated. ⋯ Adoption of SFPs in public housing had a minimal overall impact on turnover for households in Massachusetts, though disparities in the impact were observed between different demographic and PHA-level subgroups.
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The impact of cigarette smoking on mortality is well studied, with estimates of the relative mortality risks for the overall population widely available. However, age-specific mortality estimates for different sociodemographic groups in the U.S. are lacking. ⋯ Age-specific all-cause mortality rates associated with smoking vary considerably by sociodemographic factors. Among high-education groups, lower underlying mortality rates for never smokers result in correspondingly high RR estimates for current smoking. These estimates can be incorporated in modeling analyses to assess tobacco control interventions' impact on smoking-related health disparities between different sociodemographic groups.