Elsevier

Preventive Medicine

Volume 34, Issue 3, March 2002, Pages 393-396
Preventive Medicine

Regular Article
Smoking Behaviors and Regular Source of Health Care among African Americans

https://doi.org/10.1006/pmed.2001.1004Get rights and content

Abstract

Objectives. 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 ≤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.

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Cited by (0)

Supported in part by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Generalist Physician Faculty Scholars award to Dr. Ahluwalia (No. 032586) and the National Cancer Institute (RO1 CA77856 and K07CA87714).

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To whom correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed at Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KA 66160. Fax: 913-588-2759. E-mail: [email protected].

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