Abstract A11: Racial and ethnic disparities in smoking-cessation interventions: Analysis of the 2005 National Health Interview Survey

Recent national surveys document race and ethnic disparities in receipt of smoking cessation advice. This study updates and expands prior analysis using survey data for 2005 and evaluates the association between smokers' race and ethnicity and three separate measures of healthcare encounter-based tobacco interventions: screening, smoking cessation advice, and use of smoking cessation aids.

Data from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed. The analytic sample size consisted of 4,756 smokers (aged 18 and older) reporting a healthcare encounter within the past year. Multivariate adjusted odd ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for receipt of tobacco interventions in Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic smokers compared to Non-Hispanic white smokers, adjusted for smoker characteristics (socio-demographics, health status and healthcare utilization factors and smoking-related characteristics).

Results showed that compared to white smokers, black and Hispanic smokers had significantly lower odds of being asked about tobacco use (adjusted odds ratio, AOR=0.70 and AOR=0.69), advised to quit (AOR=0.72 and AOR=0.64) or having used tobacco cessation aids during the past year quit attempt (AOR= 0.60 and AOR=0.59).

Despite progress in smokers being advised to quit during healthcare encounters in the past five years, black and Hispanic smokers continue to be less likely than whites to receive and use tobacco cessation interventions, even after control for socio-economic and health care factors. Further actions are needed to understand and eliminate this disparity.