DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC DIFFERENCES IN BELIEFS ABOUT THE HEALTH-EFFECTS OF SMOKING

To assess sociodemographic differences in beliefs about the health eff ects of cigarette smoking and passive smoke exposure, we recently surv eyed 2092 adults in St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo. The percentages of respondents who knew that smoking causes lung cancer, emphysema, and h eart disease were 76.7, 74.1, and 67.2, respectively. After multivaria te adjustment, knowledge about smoking's health effects was generally lower among women, older respondents, those of lower education level, and current smokers. Blacks were generally less likely to appreciate t he health effects of active smoking, but were more likely to acknowled ge the health effects of passive smoking.