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Cigarette Smoking among US- and Foreign-Born European and Arab American Non-Hispanic White Men and Women

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Abstract

Using 15 years (2000–2014) of restricted cross-sectional National Health Interview Survey data (n = 276,914), we estimated and compared the age-adjusted and sex-specific prevalence of cigarette smoking between US- and foreign-born Europeans and Arab Americans and examined associations between ethnicity and current smoking. Arab Americans were categorized as non-Hispanic Whites born in 15 countries located in the Middle East. Current smoking, average cigarettes per day, and quit attempts were compared. Collectively, we found that current smoking was highest among males compared to females. Prevalence was highest among Arab American males (26%) compared to other US-born (24%) and foreign-born European males (21%). US-born males smoked more cigarettes per day (20.2) yet more Arab American males (61%) tried to quit in the last year compared to European (41%) and US-born (42%) counterparts. Arab American females were least likely to smoke compared to other groups. In crude analyses, Arab American males had greater odds (OR = 1.33; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.74) of smoking compared to US-born White males. After adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic status, health insurance, comorbidity, and acculturation effects, Arab American males had lower odds (OR = 0.64; 95% CI = 0.46, 0.88) of current smoking compared to US-born males. Arab American females had lower odds (OR = 0.28; 95% CI = 0.15, 0.53) of current smoking compared to US-born White females. This is the first national study to examine smoking among Arab Americans. Our study was limited to cigarette smoking behaviors as opposed to other forms of tobacco consumption. More studies are needed to explore smoking among US- and foreign-born Europeans and Arab Americans.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6011 Harry Hines Blvd., Suite V4.114, Dallas, TX, 75390-9090, USA

    Tiffany B. Kindratt

  2. Department of Public and Environmental Wellness, School of Health Sciences, Oakland University, 3146 Human Health Building, Rochester, MI, 48309-4428, USA

    Florence J. Dallo

  3. Department of Health and Human Services, University of Michigan Dearborn, 1120 Social Sciences Building (SSB), 4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn, MI, 48128, USA

    Juliette Roddy

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  2. Florence J. Dallo
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Correspondence to Tiffany B. Kindratt.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Ethical approval was obtaining by the National Center for Health Statistics prior to initial data collection. This study analyses de-identified public-use data. For this type of study, formal consent is not required. This designation was confirmed by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects, who deemed all analyses of this de-identified dataset as exempt from human subjects review.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study was obtained prior to initial data collection by the National Center for Health Statistics. This study analyses de-identified public-use data. For this type of study, formal consent is not required.

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Kindratt, T.B., Dallo, F.J. & Roddy, J. Cigarette Smoking among US- and Foreign-Born European and Arab American Non-Hispanic White Men and Women. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 5, 1284–1292 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-018-0476-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-018-0476-z

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