African American Cigarette Smokers Research Articles

A genetic association study of tobacco withdrawal endophenotypes in African Americans.

Genome-wide association (GWA) genetic epidemiology research has identified several variants modestly associated with brief self-report smoking measures, predominately in European Americans. GWA research has not applied intensive laboratory-based measures of smoking endophenotypes in African Americans-a population with disproportionately low quit smoking rates and high tobacco-related disease risk. This genetic epidemiology study of non-Hispanic African Americans tested associations of 89 genetic variants identified in previous GWA research and exploratory GWAs with 24 laboratory-derived tobacco withdrawal endophenotypes. African American cigarette smokers (N = 528; ≥10 cig/day; 36.2% female) completed two counterbalanced visits following either 16-hr of tobacco deprivation or ad libitum smoking. At both visits, self-report and behavioral measures across six unique "sub-phenotype" domains within the tobacco withdrawal syndrome were assessed (Urge/Craving, Negative Affect, Low Positive Affect, Cognition, Hunger, and Motivation to Resume Smoking). Results of the candidate variant analysis found two significant small-magnitude associations. The rs11915747 alternate allele in the CAD2M gene region was associated with .09 larger deprivation-induced changes in reported impulsivity (0-4 scale). The rs2471711alternate allele in the AC097480.1/AC097480.2 gene region was associated with 0.26 lower deprivation-induced changes in confusion (0-4 scale). For both variants, associations were opposite in direction to previous research. Individual genetic variants may exert only weak influences on tobacco withdrawal in African Americans. Larger sample sizes of non-European ancestry individuals might be needed to investigate both known and novel loci that may be ancestry-specific. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of attentional retraining on cognition, craving, and smoking in African American smokers.

African American cigarette smokers have lower rates of cessation than Whites and live in communities with a higher number of tobacco advertisements. Exposure to smoking cues may promote smoking and undermine cessation. It may be possible to reduce attention to smoking cues ("attentional bias"). In this study, we investigated the effect of attentional retraining (AR) on attentional bias and smoking in African American smokers. Nontreatment- seeking African American smokers (N = 64) were randomly assigned to an AR or control condition. Participants were given a mobile device for 2 weeks and prompted to complete up to 3 AR (or control) trainings per day. Participants completed assessments of attentional bias, craving, and smoking both in the lab and in the field. Participants in the AR and control conditions completed an average of 29.07 AR (SD = 12.48) and 30.61 control training tasks (SD = 13.07), respectively. AR reduced attentional bias assessed in the laboratory, F(1, 126) = 9.20, p = .003, and field, F(1, 374) = 6.18, p = .01. This effect generalized to new stimuli, but not to new tasks. AR did not significantly reduce craving or biological measures of smoking. Smoking assessed on the mobile device declined over days in the AR group, F(1, 26) = 10.95, p = .003, but not in the control group, F(1, 27) = 0.02, p = .89. Two weeks of AR administered on a mobile device reduced attentional bias in African American smokers and had mixed effects on smoking. (PsycINFO Database Record

Cigarette Smoking Topography Among Alternative School Youth: Why African American Youth Smoke Less But are at Higher Long-Term Risk

A paradox exists in health disparities research where African-American cigarette smokers consume fewer cigarettes per day, yet experience higher rates of tobacco-related disease compared to White American smokers. In this study we conducted focus group interviews among alternative high school youth (N = 78; age 18–19 years old) in an urban area in Southwest Texas to investigate if African-American youth smoke cigarettes differently than their White-American and Hispanic-American counterparts. The majority of African-American participants reported inhaling deeper and smoking their cigarettes “to the filter” because of their concern over wasting any part of an expensive cigarette. White and Hispanic respondents most often put out their cigarettes closer to the middle, and did not express concern about wasting cigarettes. The implication from this qualitative study is that because African Americans smoke differently they are exposed to a higher level of harmful particulate per cigarette. Further research on smoking topography is warranted.

Factors influencing cotinine half-life during smoking abstinence in African American and Caucasian women.

Cotinine, the proximate metabolite of nicotine, has been identified as an indicator of smoke constituent exposure. Higher cotinine levels in African American cigarette smokers have been identified. Because African Americans experience disproportionate smoking-related morbidity and mortality, it is important to examine potential factors influencing these higher levels of cotinine. The current study examined selected factors of ethnicity, menthol cigarette preference, body composition and alcohol-use history on cotinine half-life in 6 days of smoking abstinence in African American and Caucasian women. A 7-day inpatient protocol was conducted in the General Clinical Research Center, in which day 1 was ad lib smoking and days 2-7 were smoking abstinence (n = 32). Plasma cotinine was measured every 8 h throughout. Average cotinine half-life was 21.3 h, similar to previously reported 18-20 h. Three women exhibited >14 ng/ml cotinine after 136 h of smoking abstinence. Host factors explaining 52.0% of variance in cotinine half-life and associated with longer half-life were being an African American menthol smoker, fewer years of alcohol use and greater lean body mass. Among menthol smokers, baseline cotinine level and cotinine half-life were not significantly different in Caucasian and African American women. Intra-individual cotinine half-life variation and CYP2A6 genotype were examined in substudies. To improve accuracy in correctly classifying non-smokers with cotinine levels, a period of at least 7 days of smoking abstinence may be warranted.