Blacks, Hispanics Less Likely to Use Nicotine Replacement Rx

FRIDAY, Dec. 2, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- Black and Hispanic U.S. smokers are less likely than white smokers to try nicotine replacement therapy such as patches or gum when they're trying to quit smoking, a new U.S. Veterans Health Administration study shows.

Among the more than 1,600 male smokers treated at VA Centers in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada and Texas, 50 percent of whites said they'd tried nicotine replacement therapy, compared with 34 percent of blacks and 26 percent of Hispanics.

The researchers noted the study volunteers all currently receive medical care and prescription drugs at little or no cost.

"We can be a little more confident that the ethnic differences we observed are less likely to be related to health insurance and cost," study author Dr. Steven Fu, of the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis, said in a prepared statement.

He and his colleagues said their findings that black and Hispanic men are less likely to use nicotine replacement therapy represents a missed opportunity, especially since minorities suffer disproportionately from tobacco use and tobacco-related illness and death.

The study indicates the need for further research into why ethnic minority groups are less likely to use nicotine replacement therapy, the team said.

"It could be patient-level factors, provider-level factors or system-level factors. There are a lot more questions than answers on how to tailor smoking-cessation programs for diverse groups," Fu said.

The study appears in the November/December issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about smoking cessation.