DEMOGRAPHIC AND EDUCATIONAL-DIFFERENCES IN SMOKING IN A TOBACCO-GROWING STATE

National studies have documented an excessive rate of cigarette smokin g in black men; however, a 1987 survey conducted in two urban areas in South Carolina documents a high rate of smoking in young white men wi th fewer than 12 years of education (67%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 58.3, 75.7). Differences in smoking rates by educational level were significant only for those younger than 40. Young blacks were less li kely to smoke and smoked fewer cigarettes than whites. As a result, th e population burden of cigarettes in young black men with fewer than 1 2 years of education was only 27% of the burden carried by their white peers. Television, physicians, and radio were all seen as likely sour ces of health information to prevent heart disease, but newspapers wer e less likely to be cited by those younger than 40 or by those with fe wer than 12 years of education. Reported physician counseling for smok ing cessation did not differ significantly by race, sex, or educationa l level of the patient, but reported counseling was higher for individ uals with a personal history of cardiovascular discase (odds ratio [OR ] = 2.32, CI = 1.27, 4.25) and somewhat lower for the elderly. We high light the population burden of cigarettes, a predictor of the eventual disease burden attributable to smoking, as a useful priority measure for smoking intervention efforts.