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...