Abstract PO-013: Racial differences in smoking rates among low-income adults living in a large urban area

Abstract

Abstract PURPOSE While smoking rates have decreased nationally, they remain elevated in underserved communities. The purpose of this study was to investigate smoking rates among race/ethnic groups in Chicago and for lower income levels across segregated neighborhoods served by a network of 6 federally qualified health center clinics. METHODS The Healthy Chicago Survey, an annual telephone survey of adults conducted by the Chicago Department of Public Health (2014-2018), was used to obtain rates and correlates of smoking using weighted analyses and linearized standard errors to account for the complex survey design and differential nonresponse. We examined city-wide estimates as well as a subsample composed of lower income (defined as <200% of the poverty level) residents of 3 geographic areas which represent roughly a quarter of Chicago adults (n=3,544 weighted to represent 517,271). RESULTS City-wide Chicago adults are 36% non-Hispanic (NH) White, 29% NH Black, and 26% Hispanic/Latino and have a smoking rate of 18.6% with 60% being daily smokers. The subsample results were 7% NH White, 49% NH Black, and 39% Hispanic Latino; smoking rate 26.8%. Background characteristics most associated with smoking include middle age (30-64 years), male sex, lesbian/gay/bisexual orientation, unmarried/no partner, NH Black, some college or less education, has no personal doctor, and experiences psychological distress. These relationships were consistent citywide and within the subsample except race/ethnic differences were less pronounced for those with lower income. NH Blacks, nearly half our low-income subsample, had the highest smoking rate (35.9%; 95% CI [33.1, 38.7]), followed by NH Whites (31.0 [23.6, 39.4]) with lower rates among Hispanic/Latinos (16.0 [13.4, 19.0]). The subsample comprised three distinct regions within the city with varying levels of race/ethnic diversity. CONCLUSION While tobacco use has declined over recent years there are significant disparities based on race and income. Among lower-income adults, NH Blacks, middle-aged, and males are at greater risk for smoking-related health conditions. Our findings demonstrate the higher rates of smoking among Black, medically underserved adults in low-income communities that contribute to health disparities. Citation Format: Alana D. Steffen, Larisa A. Burke, Cherdsak Duangchan, Karriem S. Watson, Alicia K. Watson. Racial differences in smoking rates among low-income adults living in a large urban area [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: 14th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2021 Oct 6-8. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-013.