National trends in smoking behaviors among mexican, puerto rican, and cuban men and women in the united states Ricans and Cubans are also more likely to be current smokers than are Mexicans. 7 Furthermore, although research grounded on a nationally representative sample found that Latinos were approximately 4.5 times more likely to be light smokers than were non-Hispanic Whites, 8 that study provided only aggregated rates for all Latinos and did not differentiate between national origin groups. Gender differences have also been reported among disaggregated Latino groups. A higher prevalence of smoking has been reported among Mexican (25.0%), Puerto Rican (27.6%), and Cuban (24.7%) men than among Mexican (10.4%), Puerto Rican (24.2%), and Cuban (12.4%) women. 7 The lower rates of smoking among women have been consistent in surveys of Latinos. 5,7,9 Results from these studies, although informative, have generally been determined by aggregated Latino data or data from a single survey time point. Although such data are valuable and can demonstrate existing gender differences, national-level trends from Latino nationality groups in the United States add valuable information that have not been previously reported. Previous research has also identified social and environmental factors associated with Latinos' smoking behaviors. Acculturation to mainstream US culture plays a significant role in one's health behaviors, 10 and as Latinos acculturate, their smoking behaviors become similar to those of non-Hispanic Whites. 7Existing research has also revealed that Latinos are less likely to quit smoking, 11 receive tobacco screening, and be advised to quit by a physician than are non-Hispanic Whites. 12---15 A health professionals' advice to quit smoking has been found to increase the likelihood that a smoker will successfully quit. 16,17 Lastly, workplace smoking policies have also influenced smoking prevalence and intensity. 18---20 Work environments adopting a smoke-free policy saw a 14% decrease in individuals' smoking. 21When examining national-level smoking behaviors among Latinos, it is important to account for social and environmental factors such as acculturation, physician advice to quit smoking, and work environment smoking policies, as they may influence smoking behaviors. Existing research on smoking behaviors among Latino national origin groups has been predicated on data from specific regions of the United States. 4,22---25 Although regional data are important for the development of community-level interventions, 4 national-level data provide an overview of the country's progress in tobacco control as well as remaining and emerging challenges for Latinos nationwide. We compared smoking behaviors across 2 periods, about a decade apart, among Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans. Our goals in these analyses were (1) to compare Latino national origin groups across 2 periods to examine factors affecting changes in smokingObjectives. We examined trends in smoking behaviors across 2 periods among Mexicans, Puert...

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Racial/ethnic disparities in cigarette use and cessation persist. This study compared cigarette consumption and former smoking trends in California (CA) with the rest of the United States (US) by racial/ethnic categories of non-Hispanic White, Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian/Pacific Islander groups. Data were analyzed from the 1992 to 2011 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey. Consumption levels across decades were examined and adjusted logistic regression models were fit to compare across CA and US. Results indicated steady declines in ever smoking prevalence for all groups with much lower magnitudes of change among US Blacks and Whites compared to their CA counterparts. After controlling for age, gender, and education, CA had significantly fewer heavy smokers (OR = 0.45, 95% CI:0.38–0.54), more light and intermittent smokers (LITS; OR = 1.68, 95%CI: 1.45–1.93), and a greater proportion of former smokers (OR = 1.35, 95%CI: 1.24–1.48) than the rest of US. Data were stratified by race/ethnicity and the patterns shown were mostly consistent with CA performing statistically better than their US counterparts with the exception of Black LITS and Asian/Pacific Islander former smokers. California's success in reducing tobacco use disparities may serve as a prime example of tobacco control policy for the country. CA and the US will need to continue to address tobacco use and cessation in the context of the growing diversity of the population.