Disparities in smoking cessation among U.S. adults with a history of asthma

Socioeconomic status (SES) and racial-ethnic disparities in smoking cessation among U.S. adults with a history of asthma have received limited attention.

This study examined sociodemographic characteristics associated with smoking cessation in national samples of adults with a self-reported history of asthma.

Data from the National Health Interview Survey (years 2000 and 2001 combined) was used to assess the quit ratio (i.e., former smokers as a proportion of ever-smokers) by sociodemographic characteristics, and predictors of former versus current smoking status were examined with multiple logistic regression.

Quit ratios were 53% in Hispanics, 52% in non-Hispanic Whites, and 42% in African American ever-smokers. The quit ratio reached 70% in college graduates versus 45% in those with less than 12 years of education. In multivariate analyses, education and marital status but not racially classified social groups/ethnicity were independently associated with former versus current smoking.

Expanded smoking cessation efforts are needed among persons with a history of asthma, especially those of lower SES.