EVER VS NEVER SMOKING AMONG AN URBAN, MULTIETHNIC SAMPLE OF HAITIAN-BORN, CARIBBEAN-BORN, AND US-BORN BLACKS

Background. Despite the high rate of current smoking among blacks in t he United States, to date there have been no studies comparing smoking rates or predictors of smoking among adults from different black ethn ic groups living in the United States. If cancer control programs are to successfully reduce the risk of smoking-related cancers within blac k communities, more extensive data on demographics, knowledge, attitud es, beliefs, and practices within ethnic groups are needed. Methods. W e conducted a structured telephone interview to assess smoking status, alcohol use, cancer-related attitudes and beliefs, and demographic in formation among Haitian-born (N = 165), Caribbean-born (N = 354), and U.S.-born (N = 402) blacks living in New York City in 1992. Results. R elative to U.S.-born participants, both Caribbean-and Haitian-born par ticipants were significantly less likely to have ever smoked. Although both groups of foreign-born men were much more likely to have ever sm oked relative to their female counterparts, U.S.-born men and women we re equally likely to have ever smoked, Alcohol use was consistently re lated to smoking across ethnic and gender groups, and this association was enhanced among older drinkers. The belief that smoking is not rel ated to cancer was associated with an almost twofold increase of ever smoking. Conclusions. The rate of ever smoking among urban, foreign-bo rn blacks is considerably lower than among U.S.-born blacks; among the foreign-born participants, ever smoking was lower among women relativ e to men, Alcohol use is an important predictor of smoking status, par ticularly among older drinkers. (C) 1997 Academic Press.