Enviromental factors affecting the initiation and cessation of tobacco use among African American men ages 18 to 40 : a review of the literature

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to identify environmental influences that impact African American men in their behaviors related to tobacco use and cessation efforts, and to identify the barriers faced by tobacco control advocates as well as public health professionals when developing health education programs for this population. The design used to study the problem was a literature view with information derived from three sources; 1) peer-reviewed journals, 2) governmental and public health organizations’ reports in print and online, and 3) Smokefree Indiana’s focus group study on tobacco use among African American men ages 18-35. Several concluding points were identified in this study. Efforts in cessation are more prevalent compared to the general population, yet less successful among African-American men ages 18 to 40. There is a gap in the health care system to provide adequate cessation resources to this population group and that although lung cancer is more prevalent among African-American men than any other racial group, research to identify underlying causes and successful interventions are limited.