Abstract
Cigarette smoking contributes to numerous diseases and is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Smoking behaviors vary widely across race/ethnicity, but it is not clear why. Here, we examine the contribution of genetic ancestry to variation in two smoking-related traits in 43,485 individuals from four race/ethnicity groups (non-Hispanic white, Hispanic/Latino, East Asian, and African American) from a single U.S. healthcare plan. Smoking prevalence was the lowest among East Asians (22.7%) and the highest among non-Hispanic whites (38.5%). We observed significant associations between genetic ancestry and smoking-related traits. Within East Asians, we observed higher smoking prevalence with greater European (versus Asian) ancestry (P = 9.95 × 10−12). Within Hispanic/Latinos, higher cigarettes per day (CPD) was associated with greater European ancestry (P = 3.34 × 10−25). Within non-Hispanic whites, the lowest number of CPD was observed for individuals of southeastern European ancestry (P = 9.06 × 10−5). These associations remained after considering known smoking-associated loci, education, socioeconomic factors, and marital status. Our findings support the role of genetic ancestry and socioeconomic factors in cigarette smoking behaviors in non-Hispanic whites, Hispanic/Latinos, and East Asians.
Highlights
Cigarette smoking contributes to numerous common diseases, including cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular diseases, and it is one of the leading causes of death in the United States[1,2,3,4,5,6]
GERA cohort and smoking behavior The study sample consisted of 43,485 GERA participants from four ethnic groups (Table 1)
In this study, we observed substantial differences in cigarette smoking behaviors across race/ethnicity groups, and we found that smoking initiation and/or cigarettes smoked per day (CPD) were associated with genetic ancestry within non-Hispanic whites, Hispanic/Latinos, and East Asians
Summary
Cigarette smoking contributes to numerous common diseases, including cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular diseases, and it is one of the leading causes of death in the United States[1,2,3,4,5,6]. Despite the substantial decrease in cigarette smoking prevalence over the last one-half century, ~40 million people are still smokers in the United States, and disparities among smokers remain[7,8]. In the United States, smoking behaviors vary widely across race/ethnicity, with individuals of Asian and Hispanic/Latino ancestry having the lowest smoking prevalence compared to individuals of other ancestry[7,8]. The reasons for these disparities may include variation in genetic ancestry, which has the potential to explain variation in smoking behaviors between Asian and Hispanic/ Latino ancestry populations and other populations. To date, no study has investigated the role of genetic ancestry and smoking behavior-related traits
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
