• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Daily Vitamina

Daily Vitamina

Bilingual Health News

  • Health Conditions
  • Healthy Living
  • Food
  • Weight Loss
  • Fitness
Home / Health Conditions / Smoking / Puerto Ricans Continue To Top The List Among Hispanic Smokers

Puerto Ricans Continue To Top The List Among Hispanic Smokers

Researchers have known for some time that Hispanic and Latino adults in the United States are overall less likely to smoke cigarettes than their white and black peers. But federal data show that one Hispanic group is more likely to smoke than all of them: Puerto Ricans.

Nearly 29 percent of Puerto Ricans smoke cigarettes compared with 20 percent of Cuban Americans and 19 percent of Mexican Americans, showed a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only about 16 percent of Central or South Americans smoke. One out of four white and black Americans smoke.

puerto rican smokerCultural roots and financial stress may explain the disparity, said Aida L. Giachello, Ph.D., a research professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

Puerto Ricans’ persistent smoking habit may be traced to the Caribbean island’s tobacco agriculture history and the tobacco industry’s aggressive marketing campaigns there, said Giachello, who researches cardiovascular health and tobacco use in Hispanics and Latinos.

In her tobacco-use focus groups, Puerto Rican participants often say their parents and grandparents were smokers. Smoking was an accepted social norm for many years, in part because it considered a good way to earn a living, Giachello said.

“They wanted those tobacco industries to continue with their prosperity because that was going to lead to better outcomes, in terms of financial gain,” said Giachello, a native of Puerto Rico whose husband died of a smoking-related cancer.

Smoking rates are much lower in Puerto Rico, where only about 11 percent of people smoke. Strict tobacco regulations, the reduction in tobacco farming and other economic changes have helped change attitudes, said Giachello, who has been involved in tobacco prevention initiatives in Puerto Rico.

0928-Feature-smokingdisparity_Graphic

But many of the 5.4 million Puerto Ricans living stateside have low-paying jobs and live in poor-quality housing. Giachello said financial and emotional stress common among low-income earners may be another reason smoking rates are high among Puerto Ricans, now the nation’s second-largest Hispanic and Latino ethnic group behind Mexican Americans.

Continue Reading

The Latest In Smoking

smoker

Money Motivates Smokers To Quit Long Term

Financial rewards for quitting smoking do help smokers -- including pregnant women -- kick the habit and remain smoke-free, a new study confirms. "Rewards, such as money or vouchers, have been used to encourage smokers to quit, and to reward [Read More...] about Money Motivates Smokers To Quit Long Term
teen vaping

Social Media A Big Driver Of Teen Vaping Craze

Social media is helping spur the e-cigarette epidemic among America's teens, a new study suggests. Nearly 15,000 Instagram posts related to Juul, the most popular e-cigarette brand, were released between March and May 2018, researchers found. More than half the [Read More...] about Social Media A Big Driver Of Teen Vaping Craze

Dos de cada tres adultos que usan cigarrillos electrónicos quieren parar

Casi dos tercios de los adultos estadounidenses que usan cigarrillos electrónicos quieren dejar de usar los dispositivos, encuentra un estudio reciente. Alrededor de 10 millones de adultos usan cigarrillos electrónicos, pero este examen de los datos de una muestra representativa [Read More...] about Dos de cada tres adultos que usan cigarrillos electrónicos quieren parar
quit smoking

Tips To Help You Quit Smoking For Good This Year

Most New Year’s resolutions fail. A study, from the United Kingdom’s Royal Society of Public Health, found that that “quitting smoking is the most difficult resolution to keep.” Only four percent of those who attempt to quit smoking unaided remain smoke-free [Read More...] about Tips To Help You Quit Smoking For Good This Year
vaping alcohol

Vaping Alcohol?| What You Should Know

Vaping is a pretty popular thing to do these days – people are vaping flavored e-juices, dry herbs, and cannabis concentrates. They are also vaping alcohol and it’s not a very new practice, in fact, it has been happening since [Read More...] about Vaping Alcohol?| What You Should Know
smartphone medical

Text Messaging Is Helping Prevent Cancer Among Latinos

Latinos are the fastest growing population in the U.S., but despite their population size, population size, they are an underserved group, experiencing significant disparities in health care including higher rates of particular cancers, lower cancer screening rates and cancer diagnoses [Read More...] about Text Messaging Is Helping Prevent Cancer Among Latinos

Primary Sidebar

Popular Posts

  • AHA News: Silent Heart Attacks All Too Common, and Often OverlookedAHA News: Silent Heart Attacks All Too Common, and…
  • Migraines? Get Moving: Exercise Can Help Curb AttacksMigraines? Get Moving: Exercise Can Help Curb Attacks
  • An Insider’s Guide To Cut Costs on Prescription DrugsAn Insider’s Guide To Cut Costs on Prescription Drugs
  • Bedroom Light at Night Might Boost Women's WeightBedroom Light at Night Might Boost Women’s Weight
  • Often Feel Bloated? One Ingredient May Be To BlameOften Feel Bloated? One Ingredient May Be To Blame

Copyright © 2023, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.