Minority women and tobacco: implications for smoking cessation interventions.

Quitting smoking is the single most important preventive health behavior a woman can perform to significantly reduce her chances of morbidity and premature mortality. Rates and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and cancer are markedly higher among women of certain minority groups. This article describes smoking behaviors of African-American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Hispanic women smokers. Smoking prevalence rates in women of some ethnic groups are elevated relative to the majority population of women, and specific groups have displayed slower rates of decline in smoking. Thus consideration of the practical and cultural needs of ethnic minority women is imperative when designing smoking intervention programs. Information on prevalence rates and smoking patterns, barriers to quitting, and findings from intervention studies are reviewed to gain a greater understanding of the smoking cessation treatment needs of these women. Recommendations are made for smoking cessation treatment.