African American Smokers Much More Likely Than Caucasians to Use Tobacco Quitline

African American smokers are much more likely than Caucasians to use the counseling services of a California telephone tobacco quitline, according to a study that examined 18 years of calls.

In five out of six time periods studied, African Americans were between 44 and 140 percent more likely to call the quitline than Caucasians, the study found. Medical News Today reports that study co-author Phil Gardiner, PhD, from the University of California Office of the President in Oakland, said that their analysis suggests that one reason African American smokers are more likely to use the quitline is that they appear to be more responsive to the state media campaign about the service.

The study, published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, points out that African Americans suffer disproportionate tobacco-related health problems. The authors recommend that states use a combination of a media campaign to encourage smokers to quit with the availability of quitlines. This could “create a synergistic effect in helping African Americans quit smoking,” they wrote.